~TRIAL IN BKLYN BEGINS FOR HOUSTON AL-QAEDA MEMBER: A day after the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the trial of an al-Qaeda member accused of helping blow up a U.S. military base began in Brooklyn’s federal court. Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, 31, smiled as he was escorted into a courtroom full of suits and ties to accompany the navy-blue suit jacket on him. The Houston, Texas native’s fingerprints were found along some packing tape used to bind a bomb onto a vehicle that was planned to damage a U.S. base in Afghanistan, prosecutors said. “The sky was clear, the air was still, and then boom — a bomb went off,” Assistant U.S. AttorneySaritha Komatireddy told 16 jurors in federal Judge Brian Cogan’scourtroom. Komatireddy turned around and pointed at Al Farekh, raising her voice as she told jurors that the forensics team found “the fingerprints of that man!” on the bomb material. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~ALL ABOARD THE CONEY ISLAND TROLLEY: There’s a trolley coming to Brooklyn, and it’s not the BQX. Coney Island is expected to get a little San Francisco flair with a new streetcar connecting the western side of the island to the Stillwell Avenue subway station. The idea originally formed as a bus service for the Ocean Dreams development residents, but it morphed into a trolley and is expected to open in 2019. Developer John Catsimatidis said the service will go from 3514 Surf Ave. to the train station and will be open to everyone, not just Ocean Dreams residents. While the project could be an innovative step for South Brooklyn, some community members are worried the new transportation will spike neighborhood real estate prices. (via Coney Island News)
 
~LPC PUTS BRAKES ON PLANNED DEMOLITION IN GREENPOINT: Hands off that 1850s house. The city Landmarks Preservation Commission put the brakes — at least for now — on a proposal to demolish a wood-frame home at111 Noble St. in the Greenpoint Historic District and replace it with a taller residential building. At a public hearing on Tuesday, Muhammad Rahal, an engineer at Severud Associates, described flaws in the house’s condition. But in response to questioning by commissioners, Rahal said 111 Noble St. could be repaired, though its west wall would have to be replaced. At the end of the hearing, several commissioners said they weren’t convinced the 162-year-old house needs to be demolished. So the commission did not vote on the proposed project. Instead, Commission Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the property owner’s engineer and architect must return to the LPC. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
 
~MTA ENCOURAGES LEANING IN RENOVATED STATION: The newly renovated 53rd St. subway station in Sunset Park has opened, and its new “leaning bars” are puzzling straphangers. The neatly placed blocks of wood that provide a buffer between the wall and the riders’ backs were added as part of the $72 million makeover that debilitated the station for six months. New lights, USB ports and artwork were pleasant additions to the station, but the bars were met with criticism. “People who travel who have disabilities or just get tired sometimes need a bench to sit on, not a wall to lean against,” Joe Rappaport of the Brooklyn Center for Independence said. The leaning bars can also be seen along nine bus routes in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. (via the Daily News)
 
~MALLIOTAKIS CALLS DE BLASIO STATUE COMMISSION A TIME WASTER: Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis blasted Mayor Bill de Blasiofor putting together the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Markers, charging that the mayor’s time would be better spent on such pressing issues as transit problems and homelessness. The new commission “really isn’t needed and probably shouldn’t exist,” said Malliotakis. “For over a century New Yorkers have lived with many of the statues that grace our city. They only have become an issue because Bill de Blasio chose to make them one. Creating divisive issues is wrong; it’s bad for the city and its citizens.” But Councilmember Jumaane Williams has praised de Blasio’s newly created commission and called for all Christopher Columbus statues to be taken down. (via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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 ROYAL WATCH: Prince Charles just set a new record for the Royal Family. (via People)