In or out of office, a Rose is a Rose
U.S. Rep. Max Rose, who represented New York’s 11th Congressional District (Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) for two years, recently gave his farewell address to Congress. “In the face of unimaginable adversity, we don’t give up fighting until it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, but in this country you can accomplish your dreams,” Rose said. “You know, in light of recent electoral results, some have begun to wonder if Democrats should soft-pedal the fight for equal justice, if they should take a step back from fighting for economic security, or even just give up. I am here to say absolutely not. Justice cannot wait. If you aren’t willing to risk everything to build a better country, then you do not belong here in the first place.”
Investors Bank opens new Williamsburg branch
Investors Bank has opened its 20th branch in Brooklyn at 236 Broadway near Marcy Avenue. It has an unusual design, with banking pods rather than a traditional teller counter and private offices. “We’re bringing a new banking experience to Williamsburg that combines one-on-one client relationships with businesses and consumers with our innovative, mobile and online banking capabilities,” said Investors Bank CEO Kevin Cummings. The Williamsburg branch has also formed partnerships with Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Church as well as Satmar Bikur Cholim, a health organization for the Hasidic community.
8-story building to replace large empty lot
Permits have been filed for an eight-story mixed-use building at 979 Pacific St. in Crown Heights. The currently empty lot, located at the intersection of Pacific Street and Grand Avenue, is three blocks from the Franklin Avenue subway station, serviced by the A and C trains. EMP Capital Group is listed as the owner behind the applications, and Isaac and Stern Architects is listed as the architect of record. The proposed development is slated to have 69 residences, most likely rentals, as well as a rear yard and a cellar, according to New York YIMBY.
Deutsch, Yeger to hold forum on summonses
Councilmembers Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay-Manhattan Beach-Brighton Beach) and Kalman Yeger (D-Borough Park-Bensonhurst-Midwood) plan to hold a virtual forum with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings to explain how summonses work. “Receiving a city summons can be a confusing experience for homeowners and small business proprietors. If you’ve ever been the recipient of a summons (or if you’d like to know more about how to avoid one), you are encouraged to participate in a forum with OATH. Agency officials will offer expert advice about how to navigate the hearing process, resources that are available to aid in your defense, and other important information about summonses issued by New York City agencies,” they wrote.
Eugene holds free mask, food distribution
Councilmember Mathieu Eugene (D-Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens) recently partnered with the Met Council, the Council of People’s Organization, and the Haitian Emergency Health and Disaster Organization to provide free food and masks to the community, in front of his district office. “Since August, I have been fortunate to partner with community organizations to provide free food and masks to hundreds of underserved residents and their families,” said Eugene.
De Blasio comes out against Brooklyn pipeline
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday joined with advocates and elected officials to call on National Grid to halt the North Brooklyn Pipeline project. “Climate change is an existential threat to our city, and we must transition quickly to clean energy. Today, I am voicing my opposition to National Grid’s North Brooklyn Pipeline because we cannot justify the environmental impacts on the largely Black and Brown residents of Brooklyn associated with an unnecessary pipeline expansion. Racial and environmental justice go hand-in-hand, and National Grid has failed to clearly demonstrate that this pipeline is needed to keep New Yorkers warm and safe,” he said.
Two wounded in Sunset Park dispute
Two men were shot during a violent dispute in Sunset Park on Monday, police said. The argument in front of 578 52nd St. in Sunset Park resulted in a 47-year-old man being shot in his right arm. Officers from the 72nd Precinct found the victim at the scene, and EMS crews took him to nearby NYU-Langone Brooklyn Hospital. A second man, 32, later came to Maimonides Hospital with a gunshot wound to his wrist from the same incident, according to police. Investigators say both men have been uncooperative with police, according to published reports. Detectives were reviewing security video to find out who did the shooting.
Cops seek man who groped 16-year-old
Police are looking for a man accused of grabbing a teenage girl who was walking her dog and inappropriately touching her, police said. The man reportedly began following the girl on Nov. 7 as she walked her dog on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville. The man suddenly grabbed her buttocks before running east on the avenue. Recently released surveillance photo shows the man as thin with a closely shaven beard, in his 20s, wearing a pink hat, denim jacket and pink sweatshirt, according to PIX 11.
Expect regular floods in Brooklyn by 2050
In a study released by the Climate Center on Dec. 1, scholars predicted that coastal areas within Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Red Hook, Marine Park, Canarsie and North Brooklyn will be flooded at least once a year as storms become more frequent because of global warming. Some of the worst flooding is forecasted to take place in Greenpoint, near Newtown Creek, near the Navy Yard, along the Gowanus Canal, along Neptune Avenue and along the edges of Shore Boulevard. The city has already begun to give incentives to homeowners in these areas to shore up their homes with shore-resistant infrastructure and to reduce construction in flood-prone areas, according to published reports.
Autistic boy won’t be charged for slashing sister
A 9-year-old autistic boy will not face charges after he allegedly slashed his baby sister in his family’s Brooklyn apartment, police said. The boy’s family told the New York Post that he attacked his 14-month-old sister in their Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment when the children were home with their great-grandmother. The toddler has now returned home from Bellevue Hospital. Elaine Thomas, a family member, said the boy admitted he slashed his sister, but she otherwise refused to discuss the case.
Fraternal order feeds homeless, area residents for Thanksgiving
Hundreds of homeless and community residents in Bedford-Stuyvesant were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner by Brooklyn District Grand Lodge #1 of the Independent United Order of Mechanics, Friendly Society, Western Hemisphere, Inc., which is headquartered on Putnam Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Grenadian-born Daniel Roden, grand master-elect of the Brooklyn District Grand Lodge #1, told Caribbean Life that he felt a sense of duty to carry on the tradition of feeding the homeless during the holiday season. “This is what the order stands for — taking care of benevolence and charity, taking care of members who are ailing,” said Roden, flanked by Jamaican Glenver R. Jones, deputy grand master of the order, and his compatriot, Hyacinth Robinson-Goldson, community liaison officer of the order.
Compiled by Raanan Geberer.
