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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

Where did all the snow go? Down the drain!

Sanitation workers used streets in Red Hook, Bensonhurst, and Canarsie to dump and destroy the city’s snow last week, depositing it in massive heaps before liquefying it and sending the results into local sewers. The epic piles blocked traffic in the streets for much of the week, but one nearby resident said she didn’t mind dealing with the frosty road blocks for the sake of clearing the rest of the borough’s thoroughfares.

“It’s the city,” said Red Hooker Rose Streiff. “They got to do what they got to do.”

The street-wide snow mounds overtook four blocks near the Red Hook Recreation Center and surrounding park, including two blocks of Clinton Street between Lorraine and Halleck streets, and two blocks along Bay Street between Court and Henry streets, before workers began melting them away on Thursday.

The city was also deposited piles as long as two busses and as tall as two-story buildings around E. 105th Street and Foster Avenue in Canarsie, and on Bay Parkway between 59th Street and McDonald Avenue in Bensonhurst.

The Department of Environmental Protection selected the sites as King’s County’s frosted dumping grounds due to their proximity to speedy sewers capable of handling the excess water, according to a spokeswoman for the sanitation department.

Plowers collected snow throughout the borough all week, stashing it in the anointed streets, before workers attacked the heaps with front-loaders, scooping the snow into orange-colored industrial melters, according to the spokeswoman.

— additional reporting by Zach Jones

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

More than 30 wrestlers will enter the squared circle at St. Finbar on Feb. 5. Here are some of the notable grapplers to keep an eye on:

Brian Myers

An eight-year veteran of World Wrestling Entertainment, and Five Borough Wrestling’s current reigning champ, Brian Myers is an unstoppable warrior of righteousness. He will defend his title from his quintessential anti-hero (and his one-time friend) Kevin Matthews in the upcoming title match. His signature move is the Spear, a sprinting shoulder tackle capable of stunning his Standing Tall opponents, and destroying lesser men.

Kevin Matthews

Once loathed by wrestling fans, Kevin Matthews reveled in their disdain and flung it back in their face with a flurry of obscene gestures, which ironically won their applause and approval. Now this Bay Ridge bruiser is poised to unseat his one-time friend Brian Myers from his position as Five Borough Wrestling’s World Title champ. Matthew’s signature move is the Ego Driver, a modified pile-driver in which he drops his hapless opponent brutally onto his knees.

Rude Boy Riley

A born crowd pleaser, Riley can be accurately described as a pretty-boy — just not to his face! The Staten Island stallion lives to hype up the crowd. Riley’s go-to move is a body toss that sends his opponent flying into the air, only to land head-first on the pretty-boy’s knee.

The Greek God Papa Don

Papa Don may not be a god, but he is Greek and he is definitely a bad guy. Reviled by wrestling fans for his ostentatious entrances, Papa Don commands his audiences to bow down before his magnificence — but he usually only gets booed. The Don’s signature move is the Shining Wizard, which consists of kicking his opponents in the stomach, which drops them to their knees and sets them up for a running, off-the-rope kick to the face.

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

They are ready to rumble!

New York City’s greatest grapplers will converge on St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach on Feb. 5 for a battle of epic proportions. The conflict between the Herculean bruisers of Five Borough Wrestling will determine the mightiest brawler in town.

“We’re going to find out who’s the best wrestler in New York,” said Troy Thompson, 23, a Marine Park native who founded Five Borough Wrestling. “There will be a ton of action.”

The local professional wrestling league, which has staged monthly bouts for the last two years, has all the features of televised national leagues, including over-the-top characters, finishing moves, and stories that pit heroic “faces” against villainous “heels.”

Thompson records the drama that occurs outside of the ring for the Five Boroughs Wrestling Facebook, so that newcomers to the body-slam scene can catch up on the ongoing conflicts behind the ring’s bone-crunching mayhem.

“I’ll put up a video so, even if you’re new, you can get caught up on the storyline, and say, ‘Oh I remember, they hate each other,’ ” said Thompson.

At the “Standing Tall” brawl on Feb. 5, the biggest beef will be between defending champion Brian Myers, who once competed for World Wrestling Entertainment, and Bay Ridge challenger Kevin Matthews. The two have an on-again, off-again friendship that has soured into pure hatred over their competition for the championship belt.

“We were friends once, then enemies, then friends, and now we’re enemies again,” said Matthews.

Fans at these match ups are notoriously vocal about their love — and loathing — of the wrestlers, and fighters are forced to roll with the proverbial punches if they hope to survive the limelight, according to Matthews.

“With the crowd Troy gets, if you suck, you’re going to get crucified,” the wrestler said. “They’ll chant ‘Don’t come back,’ and shove a middle finger in your face.”

For Matthews, a born-to-wrestle brawler who started training at age 16, his cockiness and devil-may-care attitude turned the crowd’s antipathy into outrageous support, he said.

“I was a bad guy forever, and I kept giving all these gestures to the crowd. I would pretend to jerk off when they gave me the middle finger, and shoot snot rockets, and they thought it was awesome,” said Matthews. “So I became a good guy, but I never switched off my antics.”

The title fight is hardly the only draw to the Bath Beach rumble, which will feature six one-on-one and two-on-two match ups, plus an apocalyptic 30-man free-for-all, with a new wrestler entering the stage every 30 seconds in a bid to hurl the competition out of the ring, Thompson said.

“The free-for-all is the big selling point for the evening,” said Thompson. “It’s the first one we’ve ever done, and it should be pretty crazy.”

“Standing Tall” at St. Finbar Church [138 Bay 20th St. between Benson and Bath avenues in Bath Beach, (718) 236–3312]. Feb. 5 at 8 pm. $20 ($30 front row).

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By Max Jaeger

Brooklyn Daily

A man died in police custody following a car crash in Canarsie on Sunday.

Officials discovered him dead in his cell just 10 minutes after last checking on him, and the death was likely not related to the crash, law enforcement sources said.

Police arrested the 28-year-old man, whose name they have not released, after he allegedly crashed a car on Avenue J between Remsen Avenue and E. 91st Street at 12:43 pm.

Officers transported him to the Intoxicated Driver Testing Unit at the 78th Precinct station house in Prospect Heights and then back to the 69th Precinct station house in Canarsie for processing, according to a police report.

Police found him dead in a cell he alone occupied at 5:30 pm, police sources said.

Officials will not comment on the intoxication test’s results or comment further on how the man died.

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

They’re flush!

The city finally cut a check to a 72nd Street couple for flooding their basement with water after city workers let a rogue hydrant flow for 14 hours in September 2014. The waterlogged couple is glad their repayment finally landed — even if it took more than a year, one of the Ridgites said.

“I’m happy that it was finalized and we did get something — it was dragging out so long I didn’t think anything would come of it,” Natalie Iwanicki said.

The couple credits local leader Liam McCabe — a then-staffer for disgraced Rep. Michael Grimm who now works for Rep. Dan Donovan (R–Bay Ridge) — and a photographer from this paper for helping push their reimbursement claim through the comptroller’s office.“Without him, I don’t think it would have been done. Georgine helped too,” Iwanicki said, referring to ace Courier Life photographer Georgine Benvenuto, who called McCabe to help stop the madness on the night of the flash flood.

The fiasco started when firefighters opened a hydrant for a routine test on a Friday afternoon but could not shut it down. The Department of Environmental Protection cut a hole in the sidewalk to get to a cutoff valve, but found no valve had been installed — so they just left. Water filled the hole and eroded its way into the Iwanicki’s basement, flooding it with about a foot of water.

The Iwanickis called 911 and 311, but it became clear that a speedy response was not coming when clocks rolled over at midnight that Saturday. Benvenuto found out about the flood and called McCabe, who ran over from his home a few blocks away and made calls to get city workers to finally turn off the tap.

The ordeal was not over though — the Iwanicki’s basement repairs cost them thousands of dollars, and the family deserved help from the city, McCabe said.

“At that point, I recognized that the city failed her by not connecting the dots,” he said. “There were issues with the sewer, the hydrant, and the way the street was repaved added to the fact that this was eventually going to happen.”

The city cut them a check for less than they asked for, but the Iwanickis are happy their business with the city is over, they said.

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

It’s East meets West End Line!

An Asian supermarket chain will likely replace Bensonhurst’s shuttered Waldbaum’s. Queens-based Jmart made the winning bid for the D train-adjacent New Utrecht Avenue building that Waldbaum’s left in November, and the neighborhood’s largest-in-the-city population of Chinese immigrants is excited to have old-world options in its new home, a community leader said.

“They do express that it would be great to have a huge Asian market over there so they don’t have to travel over to Sunset Park for what they need,” said Wai-Yee Chan of the Chinese-American Planning Council, which provides services to immigrant families.

Jmart specializes in imported Asian ingredients, produce, seafood, and meat, according to its website. Specialty items such as duck feet and jellyfish heads are available in high supply, but the market also offers American-style groceries. Timeout New York called the chain’s Queens flagship a cook’s paradise in 2013.

The news ends speculation that Key Food would take over the shuttered market. The chain bought 23 stores in New York and New Jersey from Waldbaum’s parent company A&P last year.

Not everyone is happy about the prospect of a new Asian-centric market in the neighborhood. More than 1,300 people signed a petition last week pleading with hipster chain Trader Joe’s to open a new store at the former Waldbaum’s.

Most people wrote messages citing the chain’s healthy and affordable fare as reason enough to want a Trader Joe’s in the neighborhood, but others slung racist jabs at the neighborhood’s Asian population — the city’s largest, according to a recent New York Times article.

A bankruptcy court judge will rule on the sale on Feb. 5 and is likely give Jmart his stamp of approval, a Brooklyn bankruptcy lawyer said.

“It’s always subject to approval, but 99 percent of the time, the court will approve the sale,” said Bruce Weiner of law firm Rosenberg, Musso, & Weiner. “Most of the time its a rubber stamp.”

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By Ruth Brown

Brooklyn Daily

Brooklyn won’t host the this year’s Democratic National Convention, but it could stage a Democratic debate!

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vermont) on Saturday challenged fellow Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to a war of words on Kings County turf ahead of the New York presidential primary in April.

“Why won’t they debate in Brooklyn? What’s the matter with Brooklyn?” Sanders’ campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a statement.

Both campaigns just agreed to add four more debates to their schedule — pending party approval — but are still negotiating over dates and locations. In its latest statement, Sanders’ camp laid out its terms: it will accept Clinton’s demand to wrangle in Flint, Mich. in March if the former secretary of state agrees to one in the borough of Kings the following month.

“We are pleased to do it on March 3 before the Michigan primary provided the Clinton campaign will agree to Brooklyn, New York, on April 14,” Weaver said.

Both parties boast solid Brooklyn bona fides.

Sanders was born and raised in Flatbush, attending PS 197 in Midwood and James Madison High School in Sheepshead Bay, as well as studying for a year at Brooklyn College, before making the inconceivable decision to leave the borough.

Clinton stationed her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn Heights — though reportedly hasn’t spent a lot of time there since creating this video of her walking the brownstone streets — and sometimes weighed in on borough issues during her time as a senator for New York — including slamming development in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Clinton proved particularly popular with voters in waterfront neighborhoods and Park Slope — former Sloper Mayor DeBlasio is out door-knocking for her in Iowa this weekend — during her race for the 2008 nomination against President Obama.

Neither campaign responded immediately to requests for comment.

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By Trey Rodriguez

Brooklyn Daily

South Shore played as poorly as it prepared.

The school’s girls’ basketball team suffered a 50–37 loss to Forest Trail Academy (N.C.) during the Mecca Challenge at Gauchos Gym in the Bronx on Jan. 31. The Vikings could not gain a lead after early offensive woes – including a scoreless first quarter — and it all came down to poor practice.

“We weren’t sharp in practice,” said Vikings coach Anwar Gladden. “When you don’t practice hard and you come out the next day, things like that happen. We score points. We get up and down and score points, so today was definitely an off day.”

Senior forward Jordan Washington helped kick-start the Vikings’ offense in the second quarter, scoring 11 of South Shore’s 15 points. She capped the frame with a buzzer-beating jumper that cut her team’s deficit to seven.

“I was just going with the flow, pushing the ball,” said Washington.

She made her presence felt all over the court, crashing the glass and making all of the little plays that don’t show up on the box score. Washington finished with a game-high 16 points.

“She cleans up,” Gladden said. “Jordan Washington doesn’t have any plays in the playbook. She just cleans up. She played like a senior, and she played like a warrior.”

The Vikings (16–3), which beat Roosevelt (Md.) two days earlier, came within one point after a Washington layup at the 3:32 mark in the second quarter. But Forest Trail Academy made a late push before the half, and the team never looked back. Timely threes by junior guard Leah Church exploited the Vikings’ zone defense.

Senior forward Timber Tate had a huge game for Forest Trail (17–4), finishing with 14 points of her own. She looked like the best player on the floor, because of her vocal leadership and simply being in the right spot at the right time. She made her intensity felt on both sides of the ball.

“You have to cut,” sophomore guard Destiny Philoxy repeatedly instructed as South Shore’s wings failed to capitalize on open lanes she created.

Gladden took advantage of the moment by helping develop some of his younger players as South Shore looks to repeat as Public School Athletic League Class AA champions.

“I think we were able to get some kids some playing time today that I think we’re going to need down the stretch,” he said. “I think we got some kids some experience for the playoffs.”

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

Bay Ridge mourned a taste-maker.

Hundreds packed the Wicked Monk and raised their glasses on Jan. 31 to honor late Monk chef and local music fan Russell Titland, who died from cancer in January. They also raised around $15,000 to pay for Titland’s funeral — the least they could do for a man so many people in the neighborhood knew and loved, a friend said.

“If you lived in Bay Ridge, you knew Russell,” said musician and business owner James Quigley. “He would give you the shirt off his back, and he supported me in life, so I came out to support him and his family in his death.”

Dozens of local businesses and residents donated sports memorabilia, gift cards, and handmade goods for a silent auction and raffle. The Wicked Monk’s food suppliers, who worked with Titland directly, donated nosh so mourners could feast in his memory.

Celtic rockers the Canny Brothers Band hosted a show and played alongside John Rafferty, the Head and South Band, and Radio Daze.

Rafferty and the Canny Brothers played one of Titland’s favorite tunes, Van Morrison’s “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” — a number he’d often hop on stage to sing when friends were playing at local bars, Quigley said.

The day was a perfect tribute to a man who cared deeply about the community, he said.

“Russell was always out seeing local bands and supporting what was happening in the neighborhood,” Quigley said. “He was just a really good guy to know and Sunday captured that. It was financially a success and emotionally a success.”

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

Derelict and unregistered cars plague Mill Basin, but locals say the cure would be worse than the disease.

Slobs have been leaving cars with expired plates — and sometimes no plates at all — all over the bedroom community, residents say. Instituting alternate-side parking rules would help weed out the junkers, but the weekly chore is more than Mill Basinites are willing to handle, a local leader said.

“The thing really would help cure that is alternate-side parking, but the community doesn’t want it,” said Community Board 18 district manager Dorothy Turano.

The general problem extends throughout Brooklyn, but it’s more manageable in areas where drivers have to move their cars on a regular basis, because abandoned cars accrue tickets for failing to move for the street sweeper, making them a target for city tow trucks, a local pol said.

“We don’t have as big a problem in Canarsie where they have to move their cars,” said Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Mill Basin).

One area resident said she would be willing to do the city-mandated parking dance if it meant fewer derelict cars taking up precious parking spaces on her block.

“I can’t move my car, because I know I won’t be able to find parking, and it’s getting worse and worse,” said Diallo Johnson, a 10-year Mill Basin resident who lives on Avenue K. “There’s not alternate-side parking and that’s the problem. I know it affects me, but it would help so much.”

The sanitation department hauls vehicles with no license plates, and the city hires tow trucks to drag off cars with lapsed tags or with tags meant for another vehicle, Maisel said.

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

Meghan Glynn’s unmasking was nearly enough to deliver Fontbonne Hall its biggest win of the season.

The usually reliable junior wing’s performance dropped for the first half of the season while wearing a protective mask for a broken nose. Glynn wasn’t getting a clean look at the hoop — now she has gone from hardly scoring to averaging 13.5 points per game since removing the mask.

“It’s just hard to see,” Glynn said. “It affects you visually.”

Minus the mask, she made her best showing of the year in a 50–48 road loss to Brooklyn-Queens Division II leader Monsignor McClancy on Feb. 1. Glynn scored 16 points — including a trio of three-pointers — and grabbed seven rebounds to give the Crusaders squad a run for its money.

“It felt good to shoot like that,” Glynn said. “Long overdue.”

The wing had one of the final two chances to tie the score in the game’s closing seconds — her contested layup in the lane bounced out, and a long jumper from Emily Lind didn’t go down.

“We had two or three really good looks to tie the game — one of them could have been an ‘and 1,’ ” Fontbonne coach Steve Oliver said. “She makes that shot going to the rim, and there is a good chance she is getting fouled.”

Fontbonne, which controlled the game’s pace for most of the night, forced McClancy coach Dewey Hopkins to use starting forward Kenia Gracia early in the fourth quarter after trying to keep her out with a sprained ankle.

The Bonnies (10–7, 5–3) went up three early in the final frame on a trey from Katie Marquardt (11 points), and the team pushed the lead to 48–45 on a Breanne McDonnell three with 3:28 to play.

McClancy (18–2, 9–0) scored the game’s final five points, including a trey from sophomore Kristina Krslovic, who led her team with 14 points. Two free throws from Kaitlyn Stenz put the Crusaders up for good at 50–49 with 1:03 remaining.

The Crusaders won the battle in the paint, as well. Keeping the lane locked down garnered them second-chance points and helped reserve Grace Broderson nail a key fourth-quarter bucket on an inbound play with the shot clock winding down.

“They had second and third rebounds,” Oliver said. “We just have to take that away.”

Still, Fontbonne extracted confidence from the defeat — it was McClancy’s closest league contest of the year. The Bonnies own a win over rival Bishop Kearney and will get a chance to avenge a loss to St. Edmund.

“Now we know we can make a run at this,” Glynn said. “They are the first-place team.”

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

60th Precinct

Coney Island—Brighton Beach—Seagate

Rumble

Three ogres beat a man in an attempted robbery inside a W. 23rd Street apartment building on Jan. 24.

The victim told police he entered an elevator inside the building between Mermaid and Surf avenues at 4:20 pm and the weasels followed him in. The bandits rode with him up to the 13th floor, when they stopped the elevator, and launched their attack as the doors opened, cops said.

The brutes opened with a bodily blow to the face, which sent the victim sprawling to the floor, and the trio proceeded to stomp on him as he lay prostrate, according to police.

After roughing the man up a bit, the villains demanded his cash, but the victim refused and started screaming bloody murder in a call for help, which was enough to frighten the ruffians and send them running, cops said.

Shanked

Two knife-wielding wackos ambushed a man in a stab-happy attack on Ocean Avenue on Jan. 28.

The victim told police he was by Ocean Parkway with his girlfriend on their way to the bus at 9 pm when some scoundrels threw a jacket over his head and started stabbing. Miraculously, the man was able to fight off his attackers, and it was only after they fled he even realized his back, chest, and face were covered in knife wounds, cops said.

Despite the brutal attack, the man was still well enough to walk himself over to Coney Island Hospital, according to police.

Chain locked

A thief ransacked a woman’s 28th Avenue apartment on Jan. 27, taking electronics.

The victim told police that she returned to her home between Bath and Harway avenues at 9 am when she found her front door was locked from the inside by a chain.

Once she was able to finally regain access, the woman found the place in shambles and a number of valuable electronic items missing, according to police. Additionally, a kitchen window she’d left closed was ajar, cops said.

Jacked

A carjacker rode off with a woman’s 1999 Honda CRV she’d parked along W. Third Street on Jan. 31.

The victim told police she left her car near W. Brighton Avenue at 2 am, and returned later to find an empty spot where her ride had been.

Debts and dummies

Cops busted a 27-year-old man who they say stole a woman’s 2011 Mercedes Benz she’d left on W. 33rd Street on Jan. 27, taking the car as recompense for a debt she owed.

The victim told police that she parked her luxury German sedan near Neptune Avenue at 2 am, and returned later to find it stolen.

She was later contacted by the suspect, who claimed he’d be holding onto the car until she paid the money she owed him, according to police.

Phone felon

A crook nabbed a cellphone off a 77-year-old man on W. 21st Street on Jan. 31.

The victim told police he was near Surf Avenue on his way to the Boardwalk at 9 am when he first spotted the nefarious character.

The bandit was on his bike, at which point he dropped the two-wheeler, ran over the old man, and grabbed the phone from his breast pocket, before scrambling back onto his bike and fleeing, cops said.

— Colin Mixson

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

62nd Precinct

Bensonhurst—Bath Beach

Elevator punch

Two heartless cads slugged a 69-year-old woman in the face inside a Benson Avenue building on Jan. 29 and made off with her purse.

The victim told police she inside was in an elevator of the building between Bay 28th and Bay 29th streets at 10:20 am, when the delinquent duo joined her.

After the doors closed, one of the jackals socked the woman hard in the nose, before grabbing the poor lady’s purse, and fleeing once the doors opened on the fourth floor, cops said.

Goon on her back

Cops busted a 30-year-old man who they say beat and robbed a woman on Bay Parkway on Jan. 26 — taking her cash, along with her credit and Social Security cards.

The victim told police she was near 82nd Street at 6:10 pm when the suspect jumped on her back and forced her to the ground. Once she was down, he pummeled her with a flurry of blows, then grabbed her wallet and fled, cops said.

Bike bandit

A bandit beat a bicyclist on 86th Street on Feb. 1 — before riding off with his bike.

The victim told police he was riding merrily along near 86th Street at 11 pm when the crook ambushed him. The villain grabbed the man and hurled him from the two-wheeler, sending the man sprawling to the pavement, where he smashed his chin on the sidewalk.

As the victim lay stunned, the beast stomped on his stomach, then snatched his bike and rode off, cops said.

Creeps in cars

Cops slapped cuffs on a man who they say bashed a 75-year-old woman with his car door in the driveway of her W. 11th Street home on Jan. 27.

The victim told police that was returning to her house between Avenues S and T at 4 pm, where she found the suspect’s car parked in a drive she shares with another home. As she attempted to squeeze past the suspect’s driver-side door, the man allegedly hurled it open, catching the old lady in the chest, and causing her head to smash into a nearby wall, according to police.

At that point the victim’s family ran outside and started snapping pictures of the suspect and his car in her driveway, which enraged the man, who proceeded to kick the victim’s front door, damaging it, cops said.

Burglar bungled

An intruder made his way into a woman’s 70th Street home on Jan. 29 — but his plans were foiled when the woman’s son caught him in the act.

The victim told police he was inside his old lady’s house between 16th and 17th avenues at 9:30 am when he heard loud noises coming from the top floor. He was on his way up the stairs when he spotted the would-be thief on his way down, cops said.

Upon being spotted, the trespasser dove out a nearby window, which police suspect is the same portal he used to gain entrance to the property, cops said.

— Colin Mixson

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

These officers have put together a different kind of line-up.

A group of Brooklyn police will take the stage for two nights of frank and sometimes funny improv at Fort Greene’s Irondale Ensemble on Feb. 5 and 6.

The show caps two months of weekly workshops titled “To Protect, Serve, and Understand,” which brought seven cops and seven civilians together for silly and serious exercises designed to break down stereotypes and open up new conversations, said Irondale’s executive director.

“We’re using improv theater, theater games, and exercises as a way to bring people together in a room,” Terry Greiss said. “When people play together — whether that’s baseball, checkers, or improv — they develop an empathetic understanding for each other. You’re falling down, taking risks together, you learn that you can expose more and share a bit more.”

The show will include improvised scenes based on audience suggestions, musical numbers, and a silly exercises in which those onstage juggle multiple tasks at once.

“There’s serious parts and some funny parts,” said Greiss. “I’d say we’ve peppered it with funnier, lighter moments, but it’s to be listened to.”

The more serious exercises tackle the disconnect between community and police. In one such exercise, officers will portray civilians describing their interactions with police, based on interviews conducted during the workshop. The interview subjects were surprisingly open and some told powerful stories, Greiss said.

“A woman told one of the female officers in the program about how callously she was treated after she was raped, and it totally blew us away,” he said. “It was powerful to see [the officer] act that out.”

Police top brass say the workshop helps to build skills that officers use on the job.

“What does it take to do good improv? Be creative, think on your feet, and understand where the other person is coming from,” said Susan Herman, Deputy Commission for Collaborative Policing Susan Herman said. “Those are all skills police officers need and use every day. The more refined those skills are the better.”

The department runs mock scenarios to train officers for situations they might encounter on the job, but this is the first program of its kind in the city, Herman said.

“This stood out as a participatory, potentially fun, creative, and innovative way to foster understanding between police officers and community members without intellectualizing it,” she said. “They’re experiencing it, and I think participatory learning is very valuable.”

The police participants, none of whom had any theater experience, volunteered from precincts all around the borough. All of them are out on patrol on a regular basis.

“To Protect, Serve, And Understand” at Irondale Ensemble [85 South Oxford St. between Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street in Fort Greene, www.irondale.org, (718) 488–9233]. Feb. 5 and 6 at 7 pm. Free.

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By Joanna DelBuono

Brooklyn Daily

Okay, so I thought this past Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday — so shoot me, I was mistaken. It’s this Sunday that the Broncos and Panthers vie for the trophy. But that hasn’t stopped advertisers from sneak-peeking those million-dollar ads on us poor, unsuspecting consumers out here in television land a week early.

Apparently those ads are the gifts that keep on giving. Producers have created a show with old ads that aired during Super Bowls of yore, as well as what we can look forward to at Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.

Gone are the insurance-shilling cave men, and that beer-loving lizard is a bit long in the scales, but those ads will always top my list of all-time favorites. Doritos usually makes a respectable showing (how can you not love babies and chips?), so I look forward to their new campaign. Go-Daddy’s ad will likely be the most confusing (I haven’t figured out last year’s yet).

Car companies dominated the airwaves last year, but I am hoping they give new companies a little leg room this go-around. I ask you: How many times can you watch Matthew McConaughey in a Lincoln spouting drivel before you swear off Lincoln’s for life? One ride was way too much for me.

Anyway, back to the present. Many of my readers know how much I enjoy beading and yarn crafting. Unfortunately, in the last couple of months, my carpel tunnel condition worsened to the point that just picking up a needle and thread is painful. So on Jan. 4, when I made all my resolutions to correct whatever I could, one of the first conditions to address was the carpel tunnel in my right hand. This led me to the offices of orthopedic hand surgeon Dr. Vincent Ruggiero.

I cannot sing his praises enough. He and his team at Staten Island Hospital North, which is part of the Northwell Health system, went above and beyond in providing me the utmost in care. The doctors, nurses, aids, and staff at the ambulatory surgery unit were very professional, caring, and compassionate — transforming what would have been a very frightening experience for a ‘fraidy cat like myself into a walk in the park.

At the end of the procedure, I joked with Dr. Ruggiero that this was the best surgery I had ever had. I even learned to appreciate the music of Journey (the operating room’s sound track). You are right Dr. Ruggiero, Journey is definitely the calming choice for jangled nerves in the operating room — it certainly beats Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s “Brain Salad Surgery” for peace and tranquility.

Thank you 1,000 times over to all the staff and especially to Dr. Ruggiero. Thanks to his very talented golden hands, I can now move my fingers without numbness and pain. What a joy it is to have the use of my hand back again!

Not for Nuthin™, my only complaint is that Dr. Ruggiero only specializes in hands and fingers — I wish he would add knees to his list.

Follow me on Twitter @JDelBuono.

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

If crawfish does not float your skiff, worry not — you have other options on Fat Tuesday. Brooklyn has everything you need for a proper Mardi Gras celebration.

Bell of the ball

Brooklyn’s beloved Hungry Marching Band will bust out the brass to headline a “Mardi Gras Bash” at the Bell House on Fat Tuesday. Also performing will be soul-spinning DJ Jonathan Toubin and the street jazz band Baby Soda, with magician Tanya Solomon introducing each act. Judge Solomon will also determine the winner of the night’s costume contest, so break out the feathers and beads! If you need a break, the Bell House will also serve up gumbo and drink specials all night.

“Mardi Gras Bash” at the Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643–6510. www.thebellhouseny.com] Feb. 9 at 9 pm. $15.

Drink like a Catfish

Crown Heights Cajun eatery and bar Catfish will have four taps of Louisiana’s own Abita Brewing Company beer flowing on Fat Tuesday, in addition to its usual New Orleans-style cocktails. All those drinks will be at happy hour prices all night (two bucks off!) and the Catfish bartenders will be tossing out beads and other Mardi Gras prizes to the partying crowds.

Catfish [1433 Bedford Ave., between Prospect and Park places in Crown Heights, (347) 305–3233, www.catfishnyc.com].

Drink Heavier

Heavy Woods is one-upping Catfish with five taps of Abita beers, serving the Louisiana brew for just four bucks each from Friday to Fat Tuesday! The bar will project a livestream of the party on Bourbon Street on Tuesday night, while Brooklyn crowds boogie to the DJ and sip on $8 Hurricanes. And as always, Heavy Woods will serve contemporary takes on Cajun classics like po’ boy sandwiches, gumbo, and jambalaya.

Heavy Woods [50 Wyckoff Ave. between Starr Street and Willoughby Avenue in Bushwick, (929) 234–3500. www.heavywoodsbar.com].

The cake is king

It is not really Mardi Gras without some King Cake! And booze! Fortunately, you can get both at Crown Heights bakery and bar Butter and Scotch. The sauced chefs will bake up plenty of the sugar-topped, bean-filled cake for Fat Tuesday. You can wash down a slice with one of the bar’s signature cocktails, boozy shakes, or a hot drink to keep you warm on a cold Fat Tuesday.

Butter and Scotch [818 Franklin Avenue, between Union Street and Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, (347) 350–8899, www.butterandscotch.com].

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By Dennis Lynch

Brooklyn Daily

The Big Easy is coming to Williamsburg!

Brooklyn’s biggest Mardi Gras party is bouncing into music venue the Hall, with four days of jazz bands leading up to a Bourbon Street-style bash and foodie feast on Feb. 9. The “New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil” on Fat Tuesday will have a heaping helping of bumping jazz from the Jambalaya Brass Band and Cajun cooking that embodies the soul of Mardi Gras, said the Hall’s head chef.

“With the food, music, and Mardi Gras decorations, it’s trying to bring some of that spirit to New York — nothing more, nothing less,” said Michael Psilakis, known for the modern Greek food served at his MP Taverna outposts. For this event, he experimented with a wide variety of traditional New Orleans-style food and drinks to match the music and the revelry required for a real Mardi Gras party.

“The goal is to create a platform for people to enjoy themselves and to reach a state of kefi — that’s a Greek word that means a state achieved in a somewhat utopian blend of music, friendship, alcohol, and food,” he said.

Accordingly, the kitchen will serve a wide variety of classic New Orleans dishes, but the highlight is a crawfish plate with a pound-and-a-half of crustaceans shipped directly from Louisiana and served with the traditional corn on the cob and red bliss potatoes. For drinks, Psilakis and his krewe will also mix up Hurricane cocktails and their own take on a Bourbon street classic: the crawgator daiquiri, a heady blend of rum and a half-dozen tropical and citrus fruits.

Visitors can burn off some of that food when the seven-piece Jambalaya Brass Band takes the stage. The outfit follows in the tradition of New Orleans “second line” brass bands, which play celebratory music at the end of funerals, designed to lift the spirits of the people. The up-tempo, bouncing brass is irresistible, said the band’s leader.

“It’s a joyous noise, you walk in and it’s so joyous you have to dance — it’s a celebration of life,” Ric Frank said.

The band will play a mix of originals, traditional New Orleans jazz, and modern takes on the genre by artists like Trombone Shorty and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

During the run-up to Fat Tuesday night, the Hall host New Orleans psychedelic legend Dr. John and the Nite Trippers on Feb. 5 and 6, and a Zydeco Lundi Gras party on Feb. 7.

“New Orleans Mardi Gras Crawfish Boil,” at the Hall [470 Driggs Ave, between N. 10th and N. 11th streets, (718) 387–4001, www.thehallbrooklyn.com.] 6 pm–2 am. $15 ($35 with crawfish platter).

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By Colin Mixson

Brooklyn Daily

They want to bring this grassroots candidate back to his class roots.

Brooklyn-born presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders challenged Democratic primary opponent Hillary Clinton to a debate in his native borough, and pundits are suggesting Barclays Center or MCU Park as possible venues, but locals say the Vermont senator’s Brooklyn alma mater, James Madison High School, is the only place to watch the pair duke it out.

“There are a lot of large venues around, but the thing that would be really interesting is if he came right back to his neighborhood, which is the Madison area — not Coney Island, or Barclays, or something like that,” said Ed Jaworski, president of the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association. “He grew up just a couple block from Madison High School, so it’s an ideal location.”

Madison High School’s auditorium can accommodate 1,500 people, school officials said. But Sanders’ rallies have attracted tens of thousands of so-called “Berners.”

Sanders grew up on E. 26th Street between Kings Highway and Avenue P and graduated from James Madison High School in 1959, a yearbook shows. He reported for the school paper, the Highway Reporter, and ran on the school’s track and cross-country teams — a skill he apparently retains to this day, according to a cellphone video that recently went viral depicting the 71-year-old Sanders running to catch a train.

He also served as his homeroom’s class president, the yearbook states.

Officials at Madison High School have already reached out to Sanders’ campaign in the hopes of enticing the alumnus to come back and visit, and they are hopeful that the candidate will stop by sometime around the New York primaries, which are set for April 19.

“He seems to be really agreeable in terms of making an appearance here,” said school public relations guru Larry Melamed. “He’ll most likely have time in April to visit New York.”

The civic association invited Sanders to attend its October meeting last year, but Sanders sent them a letter declining.

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By Joseph Staszewski

Brooklyn Daily

Comeback kids the Bishop Loughlin Lions roared their way back into yet another game, but victory slipped away in the final minute — Archbishop Molloy handed the host Lions a heartbreaking 72–71 loss in Brooklyn-Queens boys’ basketball on Feb. 2.

Molloy’s Cole Anthony, son of former pro baller guard Greg Anthony, sealed the deal with a put-back with 17 ticks left in the match, and the move caught Loughlin off guard, one player said.

“I thought Jordan [Thomas] had it, but Cole, he just jumped up and grabbed it, and he scored,” junior Keith Williams said. “I was shocked.”

The loss puts Loughlin in second place behind the Stanners, who have now won both meetings.

“It’s a very tough loss,” Williams said.

The game was starting to get away from his team after two free throws from Dominick Priolo put Molloy up 68–61 with 2:41 to play in the game. Loughlin responded with a 10-1 run capped by Marquise Nowell stripping Anthony near half court and making a layup with 40 seconds remaining — a move that put his club up 71–69.

The Lions squad (13–4, 9–2) could have sealed the game had it corralled a long rebound of an Anthony jumper on the next possession, but the ball went through two players’ hands — and back to Molloy (16–3, 11–2). Justin Cole drew a foul and made just the one of two free throws. An undeterred Anthony got the rebound, took one dribble, spun and buried a short shot to put Molloy ahead for good.

“It came down to that one possession and the one previous to that,” Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “We just need to get possession of the basketball. We didn’t need to score. They are going to foul you.”

Loughlin had three good looks in the final 17 seconds. Nowell missed a corner jumper over Molloy center Moses Brown’s outstretched arm, NayShon Kane couldn’t get a 10-foot jumper to go, and Williams missed a put-back at the horn.

“I thought there was one second left, so I just caught it and threw it up,” Williams said. “I missed it unfortunately.”

Anthony scored a game-high 27 points, and Khalid Moore tallied 16 points to torment the Lions for a second time. Williams, who was cramping up most of the fourth quarter, paced Loughlin with 20 points, and Nowell had 15. Idan Tretout added 12.

The team didn’t share the ball enough on offense, said Gonzalez, who hopes his squad will take away the importance of winning small battles from the major loss.

“We won’t make this same mistake down the road,” Gonzalez said. “I told the kids if we have a loss like this I’d rather have it now.”

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By Brandon Mauk

Brooklyn Daily

They got what they deserved.

Grand Street lost 43-42 to host Francis Lewis in Public School Athletic League Class AA girls’ basketball on Feb. 2. Playoff seeding was on the line, but the Wolves played sloppy, taking poor shots and allowing too many turnovers. The team deserved the loss, its coach said.

“We played [poorly],” said coach Corey McFarlane. “We play like that, we don’t win. You don’t deserve to win when you play like that.”

This game was crucial for both teams’ playoff positioning, with the winner setting itself up to be the No. 2 seed and potentially avoiding defending champions South Shore until the final. Grand Street could drop to No. 4 as a result of the loss.

Kaish Lucky was Grand Street’s lone offensive threat with 19 points — none of her teammates had more than six. Asianae Johnson had five points and Shanice Graves had six. Despite its struggles the Wolves had a chance to win late.

Lucky tied the score at 39–39 with a three-pointer with 1:41 left, but Grand Street missed on its next two possessions. Star Fitzgerald-Greer missed an opportunity to put the Wolves on top at the free-throw line with 41 seconds left.

Johnson finally put them ahead 42–41 on a hoop with 14.9 seconds left, but she missed the foul shot on a potential three-point play, which opened the door for Francis Lewis.

“After that foul, everything just went down the drain,” Johnson said.

Francis Lewis’s Taliyah Brisco made the game-winning free throws for Lewis with 11.3 seconds left. Grand Street’s Shanice Graves tried for a three at the buzzer, but she came up short.

“I think it just was the pressure, everybody was just off it,” Graves said. “We weren’t being one [team].”

Grand Street’s (9–3) struggles began in the first quarter — the team made an early three and then hardly scored. By the second quarter, Francis Lewis (13–1) was up 13–6.

Grand Street had the size advantage but had trouble scoring inside and missed easy layups in the paint.

“We just weren’t making very many smart plays as a team,” Johnson said.

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