By Gary Buiso Comment.

For Domino Sugar’s developers, it’s a sweet start to the new year. Comment.

Midwood resident Artie Bennett really gets to the bottom of things. Comment.

Congrats Mike! 71st Precinct Officer Michael Scarcella was given a special honor last week as he was named Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Cop of the Month. Comment.

It was a long time coming. Comment.

Except for murder, 2009 saw a plummeting of major felony crime in Brighton Beach and Coney Island. Comment.

While the city is touting the lowest homicide rate in over four decades, nearly half of the 461 killings that did occur took place right here in the borough of churches. Comment.

While the MTA sharpens the axe to cut free public transportation for city kids, nearly 10,000 spouses and kids of Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and Metro North Railroad (MNRR) employees will continue to ride mass transit for free. Comment.

On December 31, 1999 my biggest worry was Y2K. As the clock struck midnight I held my breath along with the rest of the world and waited for the computers to crash, bank accounts to freeze and imminent global annihilation -we were 281 million citizens scared to death. Life would never be the same. Comment.

Mere suspension without pay? Toss the book at the creeps. Jail time, too. Comment.

The curtain is about to descend on 2009. Before that fat lady sings I’d like to make several observations. Comment.

January Comment.

57 years for murder Comment.

While the words “class” and “politics” are rarely found together, we at Courier-Life see this week as a graduation of sorts for all of the local legislators who once proudly graced this page and will now be moving on (chin up, Dave Yassky!) That being said, here is the first Brooklyn Politics Graduation Edition with our soon-to-be annual Class of 2009 awards! And our awards go to... Comment.

Keen-eyed last minute holiday shoppers may have thought something was awry on Dec. 24 if they looked at the state of Old Glory flying atop the Atlantic Terminal Mall. The flag was being flown upside down — a signal of dire distress. Was this a not-so-subtle comment on the state of the retail sector? Comment.

Want a Brooklyn apartment that looks down on the iconic Williamsburg Bank Building, now known as One Hanson Place? Comment.

Rays of daylight cascaded through the glass ceiling of the new Long Island Rail Road Terminal as Brooklyn resident Krystle James leaned against the twin staircases leading from the sub-ground level upto either Flatbush Avenue or Hanson Place. Comment.

Merry Christmas! Now pay more. Comment.

North Brooklyn’s parks have had an eventful year, from two long-awaited groundbreakings to the debut of a popular summer concert series at a new riverside venue. In addition, there were a number of small yet significant improvements throughout the park system. Here is a look back and forward with North Brooklyn Parks administrator Stephanie Thayer. Comment.

News that the much-maligned Department of Buildings [DOB] is “upping its game” and at least trying out new reforms should put smiles on the faces of all those who feel the agency has too often dropped the ball on controversial construction projects. Comment.

Some of Brooklyn’s most venerable residents who gathered at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center Christmas morning shared their holiday with a very special guest: Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Comment.

Community Board 6 is doing its part to help the environment — and also save a bit of green, its district manager said this week. Comment.

Christmas Eve pop Comment.

The EPA’s deadline for public comments on cleaning up Newtown Creek ended on December 23, and the city has responded with a comprehensive report that neither supports nor opposes Superfund designation. Comment.

Want a Brooklyn apartment that looks down on the iconic Williamsburg Bank Building, now known as One Hanson Place? Comment.

A man tending to his clothes at a late-night laundry may be able to help cops in their search for the two arsonists who lit up a Harrison Place apartment building where a 17-year-old girl was killed. Comment.

The DEP no longer stands for Double Extra Probation. Comment.

The following is a list of local community organizations that are meeting in the near future in your area. If you have any information that can update this listing, newspaper at 718-260-2529. All meeting notices are accurate as of press time, however, they are subject to change from the organization. Please contact the organization at the number provided for confirmation of date, time and location. Comment.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz turned the Rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall into a festive holiday toy store when he handed out hundreds of new toys and books collected during the annual Borough Hall toy drive. Comment.

Robbed of cell Comment.

Community Markets’ Park Slope Farmers’ Market will join The Makers Market, January 10, indoors at The Old American Can Factory, an historic industrial & cultural complex on Third Street betweenThird & Fourth avenues, just one and a half blocks from the Farmers Market’s current outdoor location. Comment.

The following is a list of community organizations that are meeting in the near future in your area. If you have any information that can update this listing, or any comments pertaining to organizations not yet covered, call this newspaper at 718-260-2529. All meeting notices are accurate as of press time, however, they are subject to change from the organization. Please contact the organization at the number provided for confirmation of date, time and location. Comment.

Attention teens — reserve your spot now for Projections, an eight-week high school creative writing and urban landscape photography workshop, centered around New York poems and landmarks. Comment.

News that the much-maligned Department of Buildings [DOB] is “upping its game” and at least trying out new reforms should put smiles on the faces of all those who feel the agency has too often dropped the ball on controversial construction projects. Comment.

If you haven’t yet applied for the Atlantic Terrace, applications must be postmarked no later than January, 6. Comment.

If Jesus’ apostles were from Brooklyn, the Bible would have been for mature audiences only. Comment.

Berkeley Carroll’s controversial rebuild plan will get a public hearing in the new year. Comment.

Cigarette attack Comment.

Yuletide was the good word when budding bookworms united for a holiday literacy party at the Patrick Daly School, presented by Red Hook Rise in conjunction with the PAVE Academy. Comment.

Starry-eyed students took to the stage %u2013 drawing rave reviews for their stellar showmanship %u2013 during a talent show at Public School 238. Comment.

Note passing nincompoop Comment.

Community Markets’ Park Slope Farmers’ Market will join The Makers Market, January 10, indoors at The Old American Can Factory, an historic industrial & cultural complex on Third Street betweenThird & Fourth avenues, just one and a half blocks from the Farmers Market’s current outdoor location. Comment.

A Brooklyn Heights civic group whose long history of battling for the neighborhood dates back to the Taft administration is readying to highlight another worthy cause: itself. Comment.

While the city is touting the lowest homicide rate in over four decades, nearly half of the 461 killings that did occur took place right here in the borough of churches. Comment.

Bryce Smith of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn was named a finalist in the Canon & Pro Football Hall of Fame “Why Do You Love Football?” Amateur Photo Challenge for his photo titled “Battle Glows Beautiful.” Comment.

One local volunteer group has turned thumbs down on a new policy implemented by the State Liquor Authority (SLA), whereby those seeking liquor licenses are allowed to self-certify key data needed to obtain them. Comment.

For the 30th consecutive year, New York City’s Correction Officers donated, collected and distributed a truckload of Christmas gifts to the children of the SCO Family of Services, a community organization in Brooklyn. Santa Clausalso dropped in to help distribute the hundreds of gifts. Comment.

At first, Jim Donovan was surprised by the outpouring of support his neighbors have given the Hayes family as they recover from a devastating fire that left their lives in shambles. Comment.

Brooklyn resident and Food Network host Sunny Anderson has had it with Cablevision. Comment.

In an unexpected move, popular City Council member Simcha Felder resigned his post to join incoming Comptroller John Liu as a Deputy Comptroller of Budget and Accounting. Comment.

In a world where city politics is often seen as a blood sport, City Councilmember Simcha Felder is a class act. Comment.

Coney Island City Councilmember Domenic Recchia will be named chair of the Council’s finance committee, according to sources close to negotiations with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Comment.

A bus driver and matron were both in handcuffs Monday after they left a five-year-old mentally handicapped child in a locked, freezing cold bus for nearly an hour and a half, area police said. Comment.

=Fugghedabout Homeland Security, John. Q. Public-the-avenger has arrived to save us from the evil clutches of terrorists. Comment.

New Year’s Eve mug Comment.

As garbage continues to pile up along Avenue U, local merchants are complaining the city’s Department of Sanitation is targeting them with an avalanche of summonses. Comment.

By Joe Maniscalco Comment.

Cash for bumblers Comment.

A blistering fire ripped through Bay Ridge Volvo on Fourth Avenue near 89th Street as residents throughout the nabe dreamed about their Christmas holiday. Comment.

The curtain is about to descend on 2009. Before that fat lady sings I’d like to make several observations. Comment.

On December 31, 1999 my biggest worry was Y2K. As the clock struck midnight I held my breath along with the rest of the world and waited for the computers to crash, bank accounts to freeze and imminent global annihilation -we were 281 million citizens scared to death. Life would never be the same. Comment.

Mere suspension without pay? Toss the book at the creeps. Jail time, too. Comment.

A little NYPD teamwork helped track down an 18-year-old thief responsible for three purse snatchings that took place at the height of the holiday shopping season. Comment.

St. Edmund Preparatory High School’s National Honor Society, moderated by Patti Buckley, held its first coat drive throughout December. Comment.

While the words “class” and “politics” are rarely found together, we at Courier-Life see this week as a graduation of sorts for all of the local legislators who once proudly graced this page and will now be moving on (chin up, Dave Yassky!) That being said, here is the first Brooklyn Politics Graduation Edition with our soon-to-be annual Class of 2009 awards! And our awards go to... Comment.

While the MTA sharpens the axe to cut free public transportation for city kids, nearly 10,000 spouses and kids of Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and Metro North Railroad (MNRR) employees will continue to ride mass transit for free. Comment.

Museum menace pleads guilty Comment.