~560 DOWN, ONLY 30,700 TO GO: Emergency workers have cleaned up 560 gallons of synthetic mineral oil that seeped out of Con Edison after last weekend’s “catastrophic” transformer failure…that’s less than 2 percent of the total oil lost in the ordeal. So, where are the remaining 30,700 gallons?Some of it could still be ashore, but the Coast Guard says around 5,200 gallons are probably lost to the East River. (via DNAinfo)  
 
~GIULIANI-ERA TAX BREAK LIVES ON, LEGALLY: Known as 421-g, the law required that apartments built with the help of the tax break should be rent-stabilized…but an investigation by ProPublica reveals that then-MayorGiuliani, then-Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and the real-estate industry maneuvered after the Assembly passed the bill but before the Senate vote to ensure that apartments renting for over $2,000 were exempt. But the change never made it into the actual language of the bill that the Assembly saw. Instead, Giuliani and Bruno produced letters of intent, which were read to the Senate but – surprise – not the Assembly. The effects remain in place. (via ProPublica)   
 
~WHAT’S THE FATE OF GAGE AND TOLLNER?: The Fulton Street building that once housed legendary steakhouse Gage and Tollner (a spot frequented by Truman Capote and Mae West), may soon return to its culinary roots. The building is NYC’s first restaurant with a landmarked interior, and theLandmarks Preservation Commission would have to clear any changes…which means the tenant must appreciate history and culture. So, the building’s owner will host a panel discussion on May 24 to discuss the future of Brooklyn’s renowned foodie scene…and maybe meet a new tenant. (via DNAinfo)      
 
~NEW NEIGHBORS IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS: The new owner of 27 Monroe Place, a landmarked Brooklyn Heights rowhouse that belonged toJared Kushner’s company, is a trust with wealth-management executiveJillian Barbati as a trustee, city records reveal. The red-brick 1840s house was sold for a cool $12.9 million. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle) 

~WEIGHT WEIGHS IN ON WHAT’S NEXT FOR ISLES: For the first time in over 30 years of working in pro-hockey, Doug Weight is calling the big shots. How’s he feeling since he was promoted from assistant coach to full-time head coach last month? “You have to run things and you have to run things in your way,” says Weight. “You have to breed that confidence and let people feel your confidence.” (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle) 
 
~BAY RIDGE BASEBALL BANDIT STRIKES GOLD: A thief made off with 20 signed baseballs – worth about $3,000 – from a Bay Ridge home earlier this month. The incident was a home run for the thief, but a crushing strike for the victim. (via the Brooklyn Home Reporter)  

~MOVE OVER, MISS CONEY ISLAND: Seven gents will strut their salacious stuff tomorrow in the first ever Mister Coney Island Pageant. Among other  contestants, you’ll meet Hovey Burgess, a 76-year-old circus veteran and professor, and Velvet Crayon, who describes himself as a “crippled song and dance man.” And yes, there will be a swimsuit contest. (via Brooklyn Paper)
 
~PHOTO OF THE DAY: Take a ride on a Coney poney. (via@brooklyndailyeagle)   

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Staff Picks     
 

READ: An essay on – and photos of – our mothers, before they were mothers. (via the NYT)  
 
READ + DRINK: No, you can’t get that Lime-A-Rita in a glass: “10 New York bar laws you probably didn’t know existed.” (via Brokelyn)     
 
CULTURE: A new exhibit on Emily Dickinson at the Morgan Libraryreveals that the literary world’s most famous recluse may not have always been so reclusive. (via Hyperallergic)  
 
FRIDAY FUN: A brave pupper perches majestically on a roof, and the Internet swoons. (via ABC News)

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NATIONAL BULLETIN: After months of threats, Trump signs an executive order to establish a voter fraud panel…Fox News has racked up a $45 million bill for sexual harassment suit settlements…St. Louis will convertrock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry’s home into a museum…The Marines debut a new ad in an effort to recruit more women…And how long does it take to lose $100 converting your money into as many currencies as possible? FiveThirtyEight finds out. (via CNN, Billboard, the AP and FiveThirtyEight)
 
FOREIGN FLASH: A review in the journal Science assures us that our sense of smell might not be quite as bad as we think…Germany complies with UN sanctions and shuts down a popular Berlin hostel that’s been earning North Korea tens of thousands of euros per month…for the first time, entire Syrian families are being deported from Jordan…and Argentina’s first transgender police officer reports for duty. (via WaPo, the NYT and the AP)
 
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 ROYAL WATCH: Overcome by the presence of Kate Middleton, a shy boy clutches his mum. (via The Sun)  

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT
 

11:00pm – 6:00pm – Sights in the City at United Photo Industries Gallery.Details. 
 
1:00pm – 6:00pm – Sounds Unseen at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Details.
 
5:00pm – 9:00pm – Free Friday at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.
 
6:30pm – The Path Forward: Our Age of Anxiety at NYPL Stephen A. Schwarzman building. Details.
 
7:00pm – How I Got Over: a Performance of ‘All American Boys’ at The Greene Space. Details.
 
7:00pm – Peak Performances at BAM Rose Cinemas. Details.
 
7:30pm – Silent Voices at BAM Gilman Opera House. Details.

 
SATURDAY 
 
11:00am – Sustainable Architecture & Industry Bike Tour at BLDG 92/Brooklyn Navy Yard. Details.
 
4:30pm – Russian Queer: Revolution or Devolution? at Tompkins Square Library. Details.  
 
7:00pm – Hot Glass Cold Beer at Brooklyn Glass. Details.
 
7:00pm – Suture Screening + Conversation with Steven Soderbergh at Metrograph. Details.  
 
7:00pm – Samuji TALKS: Claus Meyer at Samuji Nolita. Details.

 
SUNDAY 
 
6:30am – 8:00am – Birding in Peace at Green-Wood Cemetery. Details.
 
11:00am – 8:00pm – Alejandro Caiazza : Expressions Abstracted at Creativebloch Gallery. Details.
 
11:00am – 1:00pm – Yiddishe Mamas: Mother’s Day Walking Tour at Museum at Eldridge Street. Details.
 
12:00pm – 5:00pm – Truman Capote’s Brooklyn: The Lost Photographs of David Attie at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.
 
4:30pm – Whiskey Wars Factory Tour! at BLDG 92/Brooklyn Navy Yard.Details.    
 
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 ON THE PITCH: Heading into the weekend like… http://bit.ly/2q7T7AS