Bay Ridge: Exasperated Verrazano Bridge commuters may soon get some relief from prolonged delays thanks to a deal between local lawmakers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to implement traffic-relief measures on the under-repair span. Comment.

Heights Lowdown: Our columnist sets out to examine the rat problem — and finds a man who shoots the vermin with an air rifle! Comments (4).

Crime: A panhandler wasn’t satisfied by a generous donation of $5 early on Dec. 14 and chased his benefactor down St. Felix Street with a knife, screaming, “I want more money!” Plus all the other crime news from Fort Greene and Clinton Hill’s 88th Precinct. Comment.

Park Slope: Union Market won’t be opening its South Slope location until January — but neighbors are already wondering whether the arrival of the upscale grocer marks a tectonic shift in the neighborhood’s character or whether it simply means that a new supermarket is opening. Comments (1).