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FHA vs. Conventional Loans in 2026

webadmin on March 15, 2026

By Dan Rose,

When people ask me whether they should go with an FHA loan or a conventional mortgage, my answer is always the same. It depends. That’s not a dodge. It’s the truth. Both loan types have clear strengths, and choosing the wrong one can cost you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Choosing the right one can be the single best financial decision you make this year.

The difference between these two programs isn’t just about down payment size. It’s about credit flexibility, insurance costs, long-term strategy, and what kind of buyer you are today versus where you expect to be in five years.

The Down Payment Divide

This is where the conversation usually starts, and for good reason. FHA loans require a minimum down payment of 3.5% with a credit score of 580 or higher. Conventional loans typically require at least 5% down, though some programs accept as little as 3% for first-time buyers.

The real difference shows up in how each program treats that lower down payment. FHA loans may carry a lower interest rate, but they come with higher upfront fees in the form of mortgage insurance premiums. Conventional loans might have a slightly higher rate, but if you can put down 20%, you avoid mortgage insurance entirely.

For most first-time buyers, that 20% threshold is a fantasy. On a $400,000 home, that’s $80,000 in cash. FHA’s 3.5% requirement drops that to $14,000. The accessibility gap is enormous, and it’s the primary reason FHA remains so popular with buyers who have limited savings.

FHA Minimum: 3.5% down with a 580 credit score
Conventional Minimum: Typically 5%, though 3% programs exist for qualifying buyers
The 20% Reality: Most buyers don’t have it, and FHA doesn’t require it

Credit Score Flexibility

FHA’s approach to credit is fundamentally more forgiving than conventional lending. FHA borrowers can qualify with credit scores as low as 580 for the 3.5% down payment option, or 500 with 10% down. Conventional loans generally require a minimum score of 620, and borrowers below 740 will see noticeably higher rates.

This matters because credit scores don’t always tell the full story. A borrower who went through a medical bankruptcy three years ago might have a 620 score that gets penalized heavily on a conventional loan but treated fairly under FHA’s more holistic underwriting approach. FHA guidelines allow lenders to consider the circumstances behind credit issues, not just the numbers.

I’ve helped plenty of buyers who were told by other lenders they couldn’t qualify, only to find that FHA was a clear path forward. The program was literally created to expand homeownership access, and its underwriting philosophy reflects that mission.

FHA Credit Floor: 500 with 10% down, 580 with 3.5% down
Conventional Credit Floor: 620 minimum, with significant rate penalties below 740
Underwriting Philosophy: FHA considers context and circumstances, not just the score

The Mortgage Insurance Showdown

This is where the comparison gets nuanced. FHA requires both an upfront mortgage insurance premium of 1.75% and an annual premium that most borrowers pay at 0.55%. That annual premium stays for the life of the loan if you put down less than 10%.

Conventional private mortgage insurance, on the other hand, only applies when you put down less than 20%. And it cancels automatically once your loan balance drops to 78% of the original property value. For borrowers with strong credit, conventional PMI rates can be significantly lower than FHA’s MIP.

The bottom line: if your credit score is 740 or above and you can put down at least 10%, a conventional loan will almost certainly save you money over time. If your score is below 700 or your savings are limited, FHA frequently wins the total cost comparison in the early years of the loan.

For the complete breakdown on how FHA loans work, including current rates and 2026 loan limits, I covered the topic in depth in my recent guide to FHA lending for today’s homebuyers.

FHA MIP: 1.75% upfront plus 0.55% annual, stays for the life of most loans
Conventional PMI: Varies by credit score and LTV, cancels at 78% loan-to-value
Break-Even Point: Depends on your credit profile, down payment, and how long you plan to keep the loan

Which Loan Type Fits Your Situation?

There’s no universal winner here, and anyone who tells you otherwise is oversimplifying. The best loan depends on a handful of personal factors that only you and your lender can evaluate together.

If you’re a first-time buyer with limited savings and a credit score in the 580 to 700 range, FHA is almost certainly your best bet. The lower down payment, gentler credit standards, and competitive rates make it the most practical entry point into homeownership.

If you’ve been saving diligently, have a credit score above 740, and can put down 15% or more, conventional financing will likely save you money in the long run. The mortgage insurance costs are lower, the cancellation rules are more borrower-friendly, and the overall cost of the loan drops faster.

And if you’re somewhere in between, which many buyers are, the only way to know for sure is to run both scenarios with real numbers. That’s exactly what a good loan officer should be doing for you.

Contributed by Dan Rose, A Senior Local Business Guide Specializing in Residential Mortgage Comparison and Homebuyer Strategy.

Not Sure Whether FHA or Conventional Is Right for You?
We’ll run the numbers on both options so you can make a confident decision.
Visit us at https://rjcmortgage.com/ or call (855) 355-7696 to speak with a mortgage specialist who can walk you through the comparison.

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BPL Hosts NYC History Day Competition

BQE Admin on March 13, 2026

Two students’ presentation on the ‘Battle Of Blair Mountain,’ for the prompt “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History.” (Photo: Jack Delaney.)

BY JACK DELANEY

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — For Brooklynites feeling pessimistic about the state of society, the quickest cure last weekend might have been a trip to the library.

On Sunday, March 1, nearly 500 students, parents, and volunteers from all five boroughs converged on the Central Library for New York City History Day, an annual competition where young New Yorkers — split into middle and high school divisions — show off the presentations and performances they’ve spent months preparing.

Inside the high-ceilinged lobby, teams of ones and twos stood dutifully in front of towering poster boards. This year’s theme was “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and their topics ran the gamut: A display on the Compton’s Cafeteria riot, a precursor to Stonewall in San Francisco, offered judges a tiny cup of tea. Another on the “Down to the Countryside” movement in China featured a fuzzy diorama of a farm. Elsewhere, a garlanded thesis on Hawaii’s annexation sat beside a deep dive on Barbie subtitled “Awakening the #GirlBoss.”

One of the most exhaustively researched presentations was by Tsz Lun Qin, who examined how NYC’s Metropolitan Board of Health “revolutionized public health management by establishing the nation’s first permanent, centralized sanitation authority.” She said she’d arrived at the idea after wondering how dirty the city was a hundred years ago.

Sonya Ochshorn coordinates the event for the Center for Brooklyn History, which assumed responsibility in 2021 after the Museum of the City of New York handed off the baton. “They get to choose their own topic, and so they can really dive into the thing that interests them,” said Ochshorn. “So if you’re a student who loves fashion, and you’re like, we never learn about fashion in school, this is their chance.”

Upstairs, parents Yusuf Cross and Alexia Infortunata watched as their daughter waited to perform. Her school in Staten Island placed second last year, so getting selected for the roster had been a competitive process in its own right. Then there were the lunch periods spent working, instead of hanging out with friends, and the rehearsals over Zoom in the final weeks.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Infortunata. “It teaches kids two things: public speaking and research. Plus setting themselves aside from the rest of their classmates and being so dedicated.”

NYC History Day is the regional contest for National History Day, which boasts 600,000 participants each year and which — contrary to its name — has become a global event.

For Ochshorn, the event is meant to leave an impact that transcends rankings and accolades: “How do we get students in Brooklyn and New York City as a whole into these archival spaces,” she wondered, “and show them that history isn’t just something in a book someone else wrote, history is all around us?”

Twelve NYC teams were national finalists, with a duo from PS49 in Queens landing in third for a piece on the Kent State Massacre. This year, the state competition will take place at SUNY Oneonta on Sunday, April 26.

Kent Peaker Plant Could Become Park Built Over Battery Storage Facility

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

BY COLE SINANIAN

cole@queensledger.com

WILLIAMSBURG — A public park built atop a battery storage facility could come to the River Street waterfront in the near future.

Brooklyn Community Board 1 voted on Tuesday to recommend a proposal by real estate developer Two Trees to repurpose the existing peaker plant at 49 River St, also known as Kent Peaker Plant.

The proposal would convert the plant — already set to be decommissioned by 2030 as part of New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) — into a “fire safe” battery storage facility. A 1.3-acre park, funded and developed by Two Trees, would be built on the roof of the battery storage facility, providing a waterfront greenway that would connect Domino Park to the immediate south with the proposed River Ring park and development to the north, both of which are owned and operated by Two Trees.

“Two Trees has a vested interest in having a park there because of their other properties around it,” said Second Vice Chair Del Teague at Tuesday’s meeting. “They don’t want to just see a battery storage plant adjacent to the park land that they’ve invested so much money in.”

The project would require collaboration between Two Trees, a third-party energy consultant, the New York City Fire Department, and the New York Power Authority (NYPA), which would remain the landowner. Two Trees’ proposal described new technologies that “allow battery cells to be encased to prevent ‘thermal runaway,’”which would “eliminate any risk of explosion.”

Because the land is state-owned, a rezoning and Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) would not be required if Governor Hochul approves the project.

“They [Two Trees] will do this philanthropically, and they will commit to maintaining in perpetuity the park land that they’ve invested in,” Teague continued.

Peaker plants are powered by fossil fuels and are notorious polluters, used to provide backup power to the electrical grid during emergencies and extreme weather events. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has moved to decommission them for greener alternatives after the passage of CLCPA in 2019, with some 15-20 left in New York City as of 2025.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Greenpoint City councilmember Lincoln Restler praised the proposal, and added that it would take local pressure for Hochul to move forward with the plan.

“The governor’s office just hasn’t made this a priority yet, and we need to keep pushing them,” Restler said. “Community board support helps, every single elected official who represents the north side supports this project, and we’re gonna keep pushing until we get it done.”

Exclusive: Brooklyn FC Prepares for First Match in Men’s Club History

BQE Admin on March 6, 2026

By Nicholas Gordon | news@queensledger.com

As Brooklyn’s only professional men’s soccer team, Brooklyn FC, readies itself for its home opener on Sunday, March 8 at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, the Star caught up with three key players to learn more about the squad and what fans can expect of the team’s debut in the USL Championship league.

The Players:

What are you looking forward to about playing in Brooklyn?

Obregón: As a Brooklyn native born and raised here, it’s a full circle moment for me. Being able to represent the borough is definitely exciting. I’m looking forward to playing in front of friends and family. There’s immense pride here in Brooklyn.

Latinovich: New York is a big sports city and I think people will be excited with the new team here in Brooklyn. We hope to have a lot of fans attending a lot of games, and we want to make our home games a strength.

What’s the Brooklyn FC team culture like so far?

Latinovich: We have chemistry and we’re getting stronger as a unit, building our identity as a gritty and hardworking team that backs each other up. We’ve shown that identity throughout pre- season, and it’s going to get stronger as season goes on.

Obregón: It’s interesting how quickly we’ve been able to gel as a tight-knit group. It’s been a unique experience with everyone being new.

McNamara: I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to connect and meet new players and learn about their families.

What can fans expect from Brooklyn FC this season?

McNamara: Togetherness and also a real pride and intentionality of representing Brooklyn and the fans playing in an exciting and aggressive way that is similar to the culture of the borough. The group is going to be fighting for Brooklyn, and hopefully over the course of the season, continuing to strengthen and deepen our relationships between the fan base and the players.

How would you describe your role on Brooklyn FC?

McNamara: I think I’m the most experienced guy and the oldest guy on the team. So it’s about bringing that experience to the group, about trying to be a reference point to everyone of what being a good professional is, what being a good teammate is. And, you know, trying to help connect the group and keep everyone together.

Latinovich: As a veteran, I want to be a positive influence on everyone in the locker room. There will be some ups and downs throughout the season. We’re not going to win every game. The important thing is for us to keep level heads whether we’re winning or losing, and have a positive mindset.

How has your pre-season training prepared you for the opener?

McNamara: Marlon (LeBlanc) as head coach had a clear message about our team and about who we want to be as a group. It’s hard to bring 25 new guys and 4-5 coaches together, and have everyone prepared in just six and a half weeks. It’s a credit to the staff and players. As a new club you’re dealing with a lot of change, but everyone came together to make it happen.

What personal goals are you setting for this season?

Obregón: I want to help the team gel completely as we try to win that first match in Brooklyn FC history. I want to try to score as many goals as possible and create as many goal-scoring chances as I can for my teammates. Ultimately, we want to make the playoffs and have a run at the championship.

Do you have any pre-game routines?

McNamara: I like to keep a set routine with meals, and meal times and getting prepped. I also like to watch one or two of the opponents’ recent games.

Obregón: One big thing for me is a morning walk.

Latinovich: My go-to pre-game meal is pasta with marina sauce marina and chicken.

How would you describe the USL Championship to people unfamiliar with it?

Latinovich: It’s a pretty physical and demanding league. A lot of teams play an aggressive style, we have a lot of technical and strong individuals — together we’ll be able to add a lot and score a lot of goals, that’s the hope!

Obregón: It’s a very competitive league with strong fan bases. Any game could go either way. That’s the beauty and the fun of it.

What will be some of the keys to Brooklyn’s success this season?

McNamara: Building depth and being on the same page. We need to rely on everyone on the roster, guy 1 through 24, so that even if injuries happen we can stay strong as a group.

What are you looking forward to the most heading into the season?

Latinovich: We’re all ready to go for the home game on March 8, we’re geared up for it, and we want to give fans a result that they can go home happy with.

Obregón: The first match is going to be special. We’re excited for it and I’m counting down the days.

The Hidden Legal Rights of Injured Brooklyn Construction Workers

webadmin on March 5, 2026

By Dan Rose,

Brooklyn is in the middle of a building boom that shows no signs of slowing down. New residential towers, commercial developments, and infrastructure projects dot the skyline from Williamsburg to Coney Island. That growth brings jobs, but it also brings danger. Construction remains one of the most hazardous industries in New York City, and Brooklyn workers bear a disproportionate share of the risk. Falls from scaffolding, struck-by incidents involving heavy equipment, electrocutions, and trench collapses happen far more often than they should, and the consequences can be life-altering.

How New York’s Labor Laws Tilt the Field Toward Injured Workers

New York is one of the few states that imposes strict liability on property owners and general contractors when a construction worker falls from an elevated surface. This is the essence of the state’s Scaffold Law, formally known as Labor Law Section 240. It means that if you fall because of an inadequate safety device, such as a missing guardrail, defective scaffold, or unsecured ladder, the property owner and general contractor can be held liable regardless of whether you were partially at fault.

That’s a powerful protection, and it exists because lawmakers recognized that construction workers have limited control over the safety conditions at their job sites. The people who own the property and manage the project are in the best position to ensure proper safety measures are in place. When they fail to do so, the law holds them accountable.

Labor Law Section 241(6) adds another layer. It requires owners and contractors to comply with specific safety regulations laid out by the New York Industrial Code. Violations of those detailed rules, everything from ladder placement standards to hard hat requirements, can form the basis of a negligence claim.

Scaffold Law Protection: Property owners and general contractors face strict liability for gravity-related injuries, making it easier for workers to recover compensation after falls.
Industrial Code Violations: Specific safety rules create a concrete standard against which a contractor’s conduct can be measured.
Multiple Avenues of Recovery: Injured workers may pursue both workers’ compensation benefits and a separate personal injury lawsuit against negligent third parties.

The Most Dangerous Conditions Brooklyn Construction Workers Face

Falls are the leading cause of fatal construction injuries in New York City, and they’re preventable in the vast majority of cases. Unsecured scaffolding, missing safety nets, improperly erected ladders, and open floor holes all create conditions where a single misstep can cause catastrophic harm.

Beyond falls, workers face dangers from heavy machinery, falling objects, electrical hazards, and confined spaces. Trenching and excavation work carries its own lethal risks when proper shoring and protective systems aren’t used. And repetitive stress injuries, while less dramatic, can end a career just as effectively as a sudden accident.

What makes these cases particularly complex is the web of parties involved. A single construction site might have a property owner, a general contractor, multiple subcontractors, equipment rental companies, and material suppliers. Determining who is responsible for which safety failures requires careful investigation and a deep understanding of how construction liability works in New York.

Fall Hazards: Scaffolding failures, ladder defects, unprotected roof edges, and open elevator shafts.
Struck-By Injuries: Falling tools, unsecured building materials, and heavy equipment collisions.
Electrical and Confined Space Dangers: Exposed wiring, improperly grounded systems, and oxygen-deficient environments.

Workers’ Compensation Is Only Part of the Picture

Many injured construction workers assume that workers’ compensation is their only option. It provides medical coverage and partial wage replacement, but it doesn’t compensate for pain and suffering, and the wage benefits often fall well short of what workers actually lose. For serious injuries, the gap between what workers’ comp provides and what a worker truly needs can be enormous.

The critical difference is that a personal injury lawsuit against a negligent third party can recover the full range of damages. If a subcontractor created the unsafe condition, if equipment was defective, or if the general contractor ignored known hazards, a separate legal claim can pursue compensation that workers’ comp simply doesn’t offer.

Navigating both systems simultaneously requires an attorney who understands how these claims interact. Filing one incorrectly can jeopardize the other, and timing matters in both. An experienced attorney who understands the critical steps that lead to full compensation from a serious injury can coordinate these parallel tracks and maximize your total recovery.

Workers’ Comp Limitations: Covers medical bills and a portion of lost wages, but excludes pain and suffering and caps benefits well below most workers’ actual losses.
Third-Party Lawsuits: Allow recovery of full economic and non-economic damages from negligent parties beyond your employer.
Coordinated Strategy: An experienced attorney manages both claims together to avoid conflicts and maximize total compensation.

What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt on a Brooklyn Job Site

The hours and days immediately following a construction injury set the trajectory for everything that follows. Report the injury to your supervisor and make sure it’s documented in writing. Seek medical attention immediately, even if you think you can push through. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses. And photograph the conditions that caused your injury before the site is cleaned up or altered.

Then talk to a lawyer before you talk to anyone else about your claim. Your employer’s insurance carrier is not looking out for you, and neither is the general contractor’s. The sooner you have independent legal counsel, the better positioned you’ll be to protect your rights and pursue the compensation your injuries warrant.

Immediate Documentation: Photograph the hazard, save any equipment involved, and get witness information on the spot.
Medical Records: Prompt treatment creates a clear link between the accident and your injuries, which is essential for both workers’ comp and a lawsuit.
Legal Consultation: An early conversation with an attorney helps preserve evidence and ensures you don’t make statements that could undermine your case.

Contributed by Dan Rose, A Senior Construction Injury Legal Analyst.

Hurt on a Brooklyn Construction Site?
You may have more legal options than you realize.
Visit us at https://www.mrinjurylawyerny.com/ or call 347-292-7353 to discuss your construction injury claim with an attorney who knows New York’s labor laws inside and out.

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“Palpable Love:” Irish Folk Music Thrives at Ridgewood’s Dada

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Musicians flocked to Dada, an artist-owned spot in Ridgewood, on February 21. (Photos: Tashroom Ahsan)

An open session in Ridgewood encapsulates the diverse paths that draw New Yorkers to the Irish folk music community.

By Adeline Daab

RIDGEWOOD — “What percentage of Irish folk tunes do you think are in the key of D?”

The question circulated around the group of good-humored musicians gathered on Saturday, February 21, for an Irish folk music open session at Ridgewood’s Dada, an artist-owned music & art space, cocktail club, and espresso bar. Fiddlers, flautists, accordion/concertina players, and a lone guitarist chimed in as they prepared to harmonize in Irish tune. Answers to the question ranged from “75% if you combine D and D minor,” to a conspiracy theory that “100% of Irish tunes are in D but we just moved some to other keys.”

The session kicked off with “Shoemaker’s Fancy,” and danced through dozens of other sprightly and charmingly-named tunes including “Toss the Feathers,” “Humours of Glynn,” and “The Rambling Pitchfork.” The notes fluttered and frolicked in lively rhythm, moving me to tap my toes along with the musicians. These fast instrumental dance tunes are a subgenre of traditional Irish music sometimes called “geantraí,” which means “joy music” more or less. Mixed in with these were some American folk songs, including songs from shape note singing—a participatory singing tradition that originated in New England in the early 1800s and lives on in the American South. A few Irish songs also made an appearance. ‘Songs,’ feature words, while ‘tunes’ refer to instrumental melodies. “Mrs. Gilhooley’s Party,” one of the songs that brought humor to the session, wraps up each verse with “so he picked up the pipes and he started to play until some lads got fooling about, and they cut a big hole in the bag of his pipes and this is the tune that came out” followed by an impressive display of “lilting”—a practice of imitating the sounds of Irish music through nonsense syllables.

As ice melted in the players’ iced coffees and foam disappeared from their once-frothy pints, folk music fans and curious passersby alike stopped to steep in the melodies. They sat as mesmerized as I was, conversations never rising above soft chatter. But the two dozen onlookers present at the session’s peak witnessed a ritual clearly intended not for us, but for the players themselves. There was a palpable love for the music within the ensemble and for the activity of playing it in the company of others. Musicians sat in a tight-knit oval, facing each other. They jovially passed around the opportunity to lead a tune, and the less experienced of the bunch were kindly guided through tough phrases.

‘Songs’ feature words; ‘tunes’ don’t. (Photos: Tashroom Ahsan)

Each participant was drawn to this musical community for a different reason. For the solo guitarist of the group, that reason was a chance encounter between a tipsy girlfriend—formerly an Irish dancer—and a pub emanating Irish folk tunes. She popped in and had so much fun dancing along that she dragged her musically-savvy partner to another session where he was roped into playing the guitar. Another participant, a classically trained flautist and flute teacher turned Irish folk musician, was indoctrinated through the contra dance community. Contra dance is a type of folk dancing — “a mix between swing dancing and square dancing” — that has a lot of overlap with the Irish folk music community.

One of the hosts of the session, Myra Smith, played classical violin growing up and returned to the instrument in the COVID era. “I was drawn to the instrument that I had from my childhood as a tool for making music and for art, and I wanted some sort of way to develop a deeper relationship with the instrument,” Myra told me, “and that timed up nicely with a family trip that I went on to Ireland. That trip was a moment of remembering that traditional Irish music both exists and communities around it are still very active. I had an ‘aha’ moment of like, oh, this is the path I want to go down as I work on playing violin.”

That’s how Myra’s Irish folk music journey began, but the main thing that’s kept her in has been “forming friendships and relationships through making music with people.” She’s also developed a fondness for the melodies as she continually expands her repertoire. She calls herself a “collector of melodies.”

If you are interested in getting involved in the New York Irish folk music scene, Myra suggests you “go out and find places that have regular sessions. Talk to the musicians there and ask them about their recommendations.” There are a lot of great places to learn that are welcoming for people who are just beginning, and Myra hopes her sessions will always be an open place for these curious crowds. A great place to start would be her weekly Wednesday night sessions at The Swan in Bed-Stuy, 7PM!

Clowns Spoof Imperialism in East Williamsburg

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Ethan Lindhout, one half of the comedy duo “Ethan & Gigi.” Photos by Andrew Karpan.

An avante-garde show spoofing the Bush presidency makes a stop in East Williamsburg before it embarks on an international tour.

By Andrew Karpan

EAST WILLIAMSBURG — Before they take the revolution to Edinburgh Fringe, local clowns Ethan Lindhout and Gigi del Rosario have been testing it out in the back room of a warehouse in East Williamsburg.

“This is real revolution through the power of theater,” says del Rosario at the start of “The Movement,” the latest show the pair have put together, which played to a crowdy of some twenty people at a three-night run inside Makers’ Space (“A Premier Artistic Hub for Multi-Hyphenates” reads a sign on the door.”) At one point, del Rosario baits the crowd by asking them: “Who here just wants to destroy some property?”

Dressed, and occasionally undressed, in mini-berets, the pair’s enthusiastic, post-Occupy, post-Brace Belden take on the political inanity of the Bush years was moving, funny and sometimes stirring. By the time it ended, a bearded, breakdancing, surprise-entry Osama Bin Laden was hobbling around with an air airplane-shaped balloon around his ankles before picking up a guitar and vigorously sing-rapping “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the coda to numerous homages to the 9/11 experienced through endless documentaries and vaguely lived-through as a longstanding dramatic shadow hanging over a generation of New Yorkers. He’s part of a quirked up cast of supporting characters, including Jason Driver, Kiki Milner, Bob Stachel and Siddharth Raj, as a collection of fellow-comrades, secret FBI agents and so on.

But at its emotional center are del Rosario and Lindhout, a pair who have been performing versions of this semi-improvised character work for a while as “Ethan & Gigi,” a comedy duo who have been moving through the city’s clown scene, from spots at Matthew Silver’s avant-clown variety show “The Idiot’s Hour” to regular spots in “Fool Around The Block,” a clown queer clown show run out of the backroom of various bars and coffeeshops in Bushwick. They are clowns who perform without the traditional makeup and, instead, outfit themselves like disgruntled dancers, with moves out of old “Spy vs. Spy” cartoons, dressed like disgruntled mimes, who snap loudly and bicker at each other, are hopelessly in love, if not with each other, than with themselves.

The clowns performed a political satire called “The Movement.” Photos by Andrew Karpan.

“The Movement” is, perhaps, their masterpiece of immersive and occasionally interactive performance theater, a largely two-man show, centered somewhat on the interpretive 9/11 material, which the pair first performed at the SoHo Playhouse last year, and plan to bring to Edinburgh later this year. A pointedly slapdash – and throughout an extended retelling of Adam & Eve, occasionally nude – meditation on the impossibility of collective action, their energy as performers is infectiously earnest, pointing at everything and nothing with rollicking ease. On their merch table, they sell mugs that read, in lowercase font: “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my revolution.”

“We are on the precipice of revolution,” del Rosario announces to occasion bursts of laughter.

It make sense, perhaps, that her targets are more theater kid than revolutionary: “Hamilton is pablum propaganda posing as the revolution with the power of theater, but really it’s just little breadcrumbs of the myth of representation while it also distracts us from the fact that America was built on the basis of genocide and slavery,” she says, about twenty minutes before leaning onto ‘Hamilton’-piano chords for an extended rap session about drone strikes. Later, they do a faithful version of “Bad Romance,” too, and with as much fervor and sincerity as any other off-off Broadway Moulin Rouge-style variety show getting by in the outskirts of Bushwick.

At its heart, “The Movement” is about the inescapability of 2000s Iraq war punk nostalgia, which was, in its own forceful, vaguely misremembered, Green Day lyrics way, a kind of political antecedent to indie sleaze. Even the revolutionary berets, an essential part of both del Rosario’s Lindhout’s costumes, feels reappropriated with a sincerity its forebears could never have imagined. They look like they belong in any decade but the present, which is what perhaps makes them belong so firmly in Brooklyn.

The Tao of Margaret Wise Brown

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Margaret Wise Brown grew up on Milton Street before moving to Long Island. Photo via the New Yorker.

Born in Greenpoint, the author of “Goodnight Moon” spent hundreds of hours interviewing children before publishing her global bestseller.

GEOFFREY COBB | gcobb91839@Aol.com

Author, “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past

In terms of book sales, no Brooklyn-born author can compare to Margaret Wise Brown’s classic children’s book Goodnight Moon, which has sold an unbelievable 50 million copies worldwide. Almost fifty years after its 1947 publication, Brown’s beloved tale still sells some 800,000 copies annually and has been translated into at least 25 different world languages. The Library of Congress named it as one of its 88 “Books that Shaped America” for reflecting the nation’s unique literary heritage, yet, amazingly, the New York Public Library almost torpedoed this beloved children’s classic.

Wise, who was born at number 118 Milton Street, is often referred to as the “laureate of the nursery,” and the “queen” of children’s literature, who transformed the picture book into a modern art form. A literary genius with an insight into how toddlers perceive the world and used language, Brown revolutionized children’s books by focusing on the “here and now” of daily life, rather than fantasy. The author of a slew of other successful children’s books, Life Magazine hailed her in 1946 as the “World’s Most Prolific Picture-Book Writer,” yet powerful adults almost kept her books from the hands of children.

Before discussing Brown’s fight with censorship, let’s get some background on her Greenpoint roots. She was born and lived the first seven years of her life in a landmark house on Milton Street. Her father, who was an executive with the American Hemp Rope Manufacturing Company on West Street, often fought with Margaret’s mother, creating an unhappy family home. The sensitive, highly perceptive Margaret, sensing from an early age the unhappiness in her parents’ marriage, retreated into language, composing. even as a young girl, her own songs, rhymes and poems. The family moved to Long Island, but when Margaret graduated from high school, her father refused to pay for her college education, which sparked many heated arguments between Margaret’s parents. Thankfully, her mother prevailed and in 1935 Brown enrolled in Bank Street Teacher’s College children’s writing workshop under the direction of Lucy Sprague Mitchell, an educator interested in the new field of literature for very young children. Brown spent hundreds of hours interviewing young children, swapping stories with them and learning what they wanted to hear. She developed an uncanny sense of how children communicate and she echoed children’s language in her own works. Her books were unique and a complete departure from traditional children’s books.

In 1947, Brown conceived and wrote her classic, Goodnight Moon, all in one morning. Her book soon reached the desk of Anne Carroll Moore, the stuffy and conservative, but highly influential head of the New York Public Library’s children’s department. Moore, who also disliked other classics, including Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, read it with disdain and dismissed the book as “unbearably sentimental” and a “bowl full of mush.” She objected to the absence of a moral in the work and refused to add it to the shelves of the NYPL, which led other libraries around the country to reject the book as well. In large part because of Moore’s rejection, Goodnight Moon wasn’t an immediate commercial success; by 1951 sales had dropped low enough that the publisher considered taking it out of print.

The book, though, was saved by the word of mouth of parents, who were amazed by their children’s positive reaction to it. In March 1953, the book featured in Child Behavior, a nationally syndicated parental advice column. “It captures the two-year-old so completely,” the authors wrote, “that it seems almost unlawful that you can hypnotize a child off to sleep as easily as you can by reading this small classic.”

The book’s popularity continued to grow throughout the 50s and 60s as bookstores stocked it. By 1972, the book’s 25th anniversary, Goodnight Moon was selling almost 100,000 copies sold a year. That same year, the New York Public Library finally added it to its shelves.

Brown was a charming total eccentric. She would use entire royalty checks to buy an entire flower stand. She was part of a group that could proclaim any day of the year Christmas. Although wealthy, she chose to vacation in a house in Maine without running water or electricity. Her romances were volatile: she was engaged to two men but never married, and she had a decade-long affair with a woman. At the age of forty-two, she died suddenly, in the South of France, after a clot cut off the blood supply to her brain.

Brown’s sudden, untimely death shocked the world of children’s books. Her output during her brief career was prodigious, writing more than a hundred children’s books, many of which are still in print six decades after her death. No author before or since Brown has managed to write books that reflect a natural impulse to amuse, delight and comfort small children. Thank goodness a stodgy librarian wasn’t able to censor her.

Navy Yard Launches “Opportunity Shop”

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Monshe, a keto-friendly dessert business founded by Melissa Groneveldt, will be the Yard Opportunity Shop’s first occupant. Photos by Jack Delaney.

By JACK DELANEY

jdelaney@queensledger.com

Melissa Groneveldt stood behind a gleaming counter stacked with cookies, as the room filled with gentle chatter.

Outside, it was a grey day: on Flushing Ave, commuters waited for the B69 bus under a dreary sky. But here in the Yard Opportunity Shop (YOS), the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s newest retail space, the vibes were immaculate.

The YOS, which launched on Thursday, February 26, is an incubator program that will provide a rotating cast of local minority- and women-owned businesses with a pop-up location to sell their products without needing to commit to an expensive lease.

Brooklyn royalty attended the ribbon cutting, including Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who said the $300,000 his office earmarked for the initiative was a “small token” of what he’d like to give, and the Navy Yard’s top brass — Lindsay Greene, who leads its economic development corporation, and Board Chair Hank Gutman.

Yet the guest of honor was Groneveldt, founder of the wellness-driven bakery Monshe, who is kicking off a three-month residency at the YOS.

“It means everything to me,” said Groneveldt, a four-time author, certified nutrition coach, and entrepreneur who lives in the Bronx. “This journey has been a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of crying, a lot of second guessing. What pushed me forward was my daughter — wanting to create a legacy for her, something she can look back on and say how proud of me she is.”

Groneveldt first conceived of Monshe in 2020. She was going to the gym four to five times per week, but found that the processed desserts available at her supermarket were nullifying the benefits of exercise. After workshopping recipes for a year, she launched a store on Etsy in 2021 and has now sold over 70,000 of her sugar-free and keto-friendly cookies.

“Here, you’ve achieved the impossible,” said Gutman, thanking Groneveldt shortly before the ribbon was cut. Then he flashed a grin: “You have satisfied my incurable yearning for a good cookie — and you’ve done it in a way that will keep me from getting in trouble with my wife.”

Serwaa and Kenneth Darpoh of Socie-Tea 7. Photos by Jack Delaney.

Monshe owes its name to Groneveldt’s mother, Monshelia, who worked for the city for more than 40 years. “She always told me that whatever you do, own your own,” said Groneveldt. “I took her advice.”

For the grand opening, Groneveldt also invited fellow small business owners who share her mission: Madeleine Defonce of MD Wellness Dynamics, which contributed mushroom-infused lattes, and Serwaa and Kenneth Darpoh, the Bed Stuy-based duo behind Socie-Tea 7.

The Darpohs offered attendees a taste of three subtle but compelling herbal teas. They come from disparate professional backgrounds — real estate for Serwaa, and music and television production for Kenneth — but when he gave her a $500 cast-iron teapot as a birthday gift early into their relationship, having only intended to spend $100, it blossomed into a shared passion.

Also present was Courtney Washington Joiles, an award-winning fashion designer who manufactures his clothes in the Navy Yard and sells them out of a pop-up in Bed-Stuy, off Tompkins Place. His stall showed off his most recent women’s line, which features airy “pucker” fabric tailored for an “elegant resort look.”

Joiles started his imprint, eponymously titled Courtney Washington, in 1998. Back then, it was headquartered on Fulton Street in Fort Greene. When the economy crashed in 2009, he was forced to shutter, but the Jamaican-born designer has revived his operations over the past two years.

“Most of our clients travel, and it travels amazingly. There’s never a need to iron,” said Joiles, holding up a salmon-textured top. “And these items are completely washable.”

Several days before the opening, Groneveldt — who gave birth only eight months ago — received a text from her eldest daughter saying everything she’d been hoping for. Now, buoyed by the support of her family and her mother’s legacy, YOS’s first resident entrepreneur is hoping to give back.

“This is not the only thing I want to do with this space,” said Groneveldt, as she surveyed the L-shaped room. “Maybe a pitch competition — something to show entrepreneurs that as long as you persevere, anything’s within reach.”

Zuby Ejiofor Elevates Red Storm Over Nova in Bounce-back Win

BQE Admin on March 3, 2026

St. John’s captain records first ever triple-double to blow out the visiting Wildcats

Zuby Ejiofor recorded his first ever competitive triple-double, becoming the fourth known member of St. John’s to do so. He follows Kadary Richmond’s 2025 performance, Ron Artest’s in 1999, and David Cain’s in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. (Photos by Noah Zimmerman)

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

It was wire to wire dominance for the UConn Huskies in Hartford, Connecticut last Wednesday night. After falling at Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago, the #6 team in the nation blew out the #15 ranked St. John’s Red Storm, 72-40.

For the visiting Johnnies it was by far their worst shooting performance of the season. Their 40 points were the lowest scored by either team in a Red Storm game this year. It also marked the least points ever scored by a Rick Pitino-coached team.

Joson Sanon was the only Johnnie in double figures, scoring 10 points on 3/10 shooting. The Red Storm hit just 25% of their perimeter shots and 20% of their field goal attempts.

In the second half they only converted two field goal attempts, missing their last 24 and only scoring 14 total points. The missed-FG streak is the longest in Division 1 and the worst stretch for any nationally ranked or BIG EAST team in eight years.

“All I know is we didn’t play good offense,” said Pitino after the game. “We did things that we’ve never done. And again, that’s something I got to question about myself, and I will question it because the team did not do the things we’ve done in the last 13 games. Give [UConn] credit. We’ll move on.”

“I’ve never been through that experience,” said Zuby Ejiofor when asked to describe what happened on Wednesday night. “This loss is one that you really want to forget and move on to the next opponent because Villanova is a great team as well. Championship-level teams respond in a positive way, and my job is to make sure that we are a lot more prepared for the next opponent than we were tonight.”

St. John’s were more than prepared as they opened an early 11-2 lead against the Wildcats on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The lead ballooned as large as 30 points in the first half, punctuated by a series of invigorating dunks.

Ian Jackson had five steals against Nova, setting a career high. He took one all the way to the bucket with an emphatic windmill jam.

All over the ball on the defensive end was Ian Jackson, who amassed an impressive three first half steals en route to a career-best five. His transition dunk was the cherry on top; an emphatic windmill slam that brought the raucous MSG crowd to their feet. Jackson scored 19, one of his best nights as a Johnnie.

Things didn’t get much easier for Villanova in the second half. Freshman forward Matt Hodge went down with an injury later confirmed to be a season-ending ACL tear, and despite his teammates coming to life and briefly cutting the deficit to 20 points, the Red Storm maintained a comfortable advantage.

In the waning moments of the matchup, Zuby Ejiofor put the finishing touches on a dominant night. With just over three minutes to go he found Joson Sanon for a midrange jumper, tallying his 10th assist.

Zuby knocks down a deep jumper against Villanova. He was firing on all cylinders, dominating on offense and defense.

The MSG crowd roared once more as Ejiofor celebrated his first ever competitive triple-double. The Red Storm captain scored 16 points with 12 rebounds to go with his career-high in assists, also picking up three blocks and a steal on the defensive end.

Zuby’s triple-double marks just the fourth in St. John’s history. He followed Kadary Richmond’s 2025 performance, Ron Artest’s in 1999, and David Cain’s in the 1993 NCAA Tournament.

On the same day as Zuby’s, Richmond picked up his first professional triple-double with the Capital City Go-Go in the NBA G League. Another senior from last year’s Red Storm squad, Deivon Smith, recorded his own the following day for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors.

Rick Pitino brought out the white suit for Saturday night’s contest. It delighted the sold-out MSG crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.

The Red Storm out-assisted Villanova 26-11 and out-rebounded them 40-26. It was complete dominance and a much-needed bounce back win as St. John’s heads into their season finale this Friday night in New Jersey.

Following an emotional senior night on Tuesday against Georgetown, all that’s left to decide the BIG EAST regular season championship is the Red Storm’s contest against the Seton Hall Pirates and UConn’s matchup with last place Marquette.

If UConn and St. John’s finish tied, the Red Storm will likely claim the top seed for the BIG EAST Tournament due to their sweep against Creighton. The tournament runs from March 11 to the 14 at Madison Square Garden.

On Mondayís AP College Basketball Rankings the Red Storm slid to #18, with UConn back up to #4. Villanova is also receiving votes and should appear in the NCAA Tournament later this month.

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St. John’s captain records first ever triple-double to blow out the visiting Wildcats

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