Boerum Hill: Residents of Butler Street in Boerum Hill say police aren’t doing enough to crack down on drug dealing and prostitution stemming from two abandoned houses on their block. But cops say they’re doing their best. Comment.

Williamsburg: Two firehouses decommissioned amid intense protests in 2003 will be reborn — one as a home for the borough’s nomadic orchestra and the other as community center. Comment.

Columbia St Waterfront: Author Thomas Pynchon didn’t show up at a party in his honor on Sunday at Freebird Books. Then again, if the reclusive author of “Mason & Dixon” and “V” had shown up, would anyone even know? Yes, say fans at the Columbia Street bookshop. Comment.