Around Brooklyn: Brannan gives away Tofurky roasts

Brannan gives away Tofurky roasts

Vegetarian Brooklyn Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights) recently gave away 50 vegan Tofurky roasts outside his office. “The best way to pardon a turkey is to not eat one at all! This year, as an elected official who is also a vegetarian, I figured I would give my constituents a taste of a karma-free Thanksgiving,” said Brannan. “Thanks to NYCLASS and PETA for teaming up with me to give away plant-based alternatives, as just another way of making sure no one goes hungry this holiday.”

Brooklyn post offices add Sunday hours

With more people shopping online this year, the U.S. Postal Service wants to make sure customers get their packages in time for the holiday. In Brooklyn, 36 post offices are adding additional Sunday package pickup hours for customers who may have missed a delivery. With an extra four hours, five Sundays in a row, that amounts to an additional 720 hours. The Postal Service would also like to remind customers that they don’t have to leave their home to ship their packages. They can simply visit usps.com and schedule a pickup.

Boerum Hill accident kills pedestrian

Police say an unlicensed, drunk driver ran down and killed a woman near her home on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill on Sunday night. Jasen Nhambiu, 49, was allegedly drunk when he drove his Hyundai west on Atlantic Avenue around 7:45 p.m., running into Alina Morales, 62, between Third Avenue and Nevins Street. Morales was taken to the Brooklyn Hospital Center, where she died. Police charged Nhambiu with driving while intoxicated, refusal to take a breath test, driving without a license and aggravated unlicensed operator, according to Streetsblog.

Teen girl sexually assaulted in MD’s waiting area

A 14-year-old girl fought off a man who tried to sexually assault her in the hallway of a Midwood doctor’s office, in an attack caught on camera. The teen had arrived early at the office for her mom’s appointment when the suspect approached just before 1 p.m. and exposed himself, police said. The girl tried to run but the man grabbed her, covered her mouth and knocked her to the ground, police said. Police released surveillance video of the man, who was wearing a knit hat and surgical mask and who fled on a moped, according to the Daily News.

Treyger secures $250K for Gravesend Library upgrade

Councilmember Mark Treyger (Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend, Sea Gate) recently announced that he secured $250,000 to renovate and upgrade the Gravesend Library, located at 303 Avenue X at West 2nd Street. The capital funding allocated for this upgrade project helped fill a budget shortfall. The Gravesend Library originally opened in 1962 and serves its diverse community by providing many materials in multiple languages. The enhancements will include facade upgrades to provide for a watertight building, site drainage at the rear of the parking lot and additional work at the basement level to prevent rainwater from entering the building.

Two-alarm fire leaves three families homeless

A two-alarm fire in Bushwick injured several people and left three families homeless on Tuesday morning, fire officials said. None of the injuries was considered serious, and most of the victims were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The fire broke out around 7 a.m. at 1059 Greene Ave. It spread from the first floor into the walls, making firefighters declare a second alarm to stop it from spreading to the roof. The blaze was underway in just under an hour.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to published reports.

Teens charged with setting school buses on fire

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with five school buses that were set on fire in Brooklyn. Police charged 18-year-olds Amuel Zhine and Jervey Shamell with arson. The two were recently seen on video buying lighters at a grocery store. The first fire broke out Nov. 1, when a bus was burned on Albany Avenue in East Flatbush. Since then, four more parked buses were set on fire. No one was hurt in any of the fires, according to ABC News. The latest fire happened Thursday in front of Saint Catherine of Genoa Catholic Academy on Avenue D.

Levin introduces foster youth bill

City Councilmember Stephen Levin (D-Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Williamsburg), chair of the General Welfare Committee, on Tuesday night introduced a bill that would allow youths who have spent time in foster care to be eligible for rental assistance vouchers that would allow them to obtain stable housing. It would also require that the Department of Homeless Services recognize time spent in foster care as homelessness for the purpose of meeting rental voucher eligibility requirements.

Colton announces re-election victory

Assemblymember William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) recently announced his re-election victory. “After almost all the absentee ballots have been counted in the 47th Assembly District, I am humbled that I have gotten as much as 80% of these absentee ballots. It is now clear that I have been re-elected to the Assembly. I led the race by more than 3,000 votes after the Nov. 3, 2020 totals. Once the absentee ballots were counted, the number of votes for me has increased greatly,” he said.

Jelly doughnut ale is here

Shmaltz Brewing Co., for the Chanukah season, will release its new Golden Jelly Doughnut Pastry Ale. Also in December, Shmaltz will introduce its He’brew RGB IPA, a tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Shmaltz is located in upstate Troy, N.Y., although it does produce a line of Coney Island Lagers.

Police identify woman killed in mass shooting

Police have identified the 20-year-old woman who was killed when gunmen opened fire at a Sweet 16 party and shot seven people in Brooklyn on Tuesday night. She was Baijonna Long, 20, of Stanford in Dutchess County. In addition, a 16-year-old still remains in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. The others are expected to survive, police said. The gunmen are believed to be members of a street gang, although police have not said which one is involved, according to published reports. Borough President Eric Adams said he has been talking to gang members in an effort to stop gun violence.

Dining collective expands meals

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Brooklyn-based dining collective Both And is expanding access to its pay-what-you-want fine dining meals, adding takeout and delivery options. Sachi Nagase and Katie Yun, both of whom previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, founded Both And in 2017. They currently run Both And out of their apartments. By the end of the year, they plan to run their business out of a commercial kitchen at 37 Box St. in Greenpoint, according to New York Eater.

Kids’ show host selling Williamsburg home for $3.35M

Steve Burns, the former host of Nickelodeon children’s show Blue’s Clues, is selling his home in Williamsburg for $3,350,000, according to People magazine. The structure was converted from a garage and wood shop, and much of the house retains elements of the original structure. A deck inside a courtyard was created using salvaged pieces of the Coney Island boardwalk. Burns moved into the home when it was completed in 2008. It has a bright blue façade, just like the house on the TV show. The 400-square-foot courtyard is made of artificial turf.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.