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Brooklyn Today March 21: Councilmember Launches Investigation Into Jared Kushner’s Company

March 21, 2018 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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*** Please note that Scott Enman, the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newsletter, will be away tomorrow through Tuesday. The Eagle editorial staff will take over during his absence. ***
 
THE LEDE: Happy hump day, Brooklyn! We explore Ellis Island’s abandoned hospital, dangerous drivers are getting off the hook, and a Williamsburgrestaurant gets a major revamp. Plus, a councilmember launches an investigation into Jared Kushner’s company, we recommend the best places to get dollar oysters, and a fifth package explodes in Texas. Finally, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince meets with President Trump, the world’s last male northern white rhino dies in Kenya, and an Iraqi doctor claims to have the rope used to hang Saddam Hussein.
 
IMPRINT: Jennifer Lawrence poses in stripes on the April cover ofHarper’s Bazaar Singapore.

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The Rundown
 

~FINDING THE FORGOTTEN: A BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR OF ELLIS ISLAND’S EERIE, ABANDONED HOSPITAL: While many have ventured to Ellis Island to learn about the millions of immigrants who passed through its doors, fewer have visited the Immigrant Hospital, located on two southern islands. Normally off-limits to the public, the Eagle received a behind-the-scenes tour of the eerie hospital complex. Placed within the commotion of New York Harbor, ships pass the island nonstop. A Staten Island Ferry bellows, announcing its departure from Whitehall Terminal. A tour boat bursting with colorful rain slickers zips by. Despite the movement surrounding the island, it’s strangely quiet, a contrast to the daily cacophony of the city. The Eagle tours the hospital on a wet, gray day. There’s a cool dampness inside the cavernous complex. Sporadic drips echo from far-off corners. Rusted pipes and walls with peeling paint stretch off into the distance for as far as the eye can see. Rain stirs up scents of damp grass, wet wood and moist metal. Moss and ivy hug the building, interweaving lines of human and natural origins, one and the same. The compound — a labyrinth of nooks, crannies, halls, courtyards, sunrooms, recreation centers and bedrooms — begs to be explored. (via Brooklyn Eagle)
 
~REPORT: LAX TRAFFIC CAM PENALTIES GIVE MOST DANGEROUS NYC DRIVERS A PASS: A study released on Tuesday reveals a key reason so many reckless drivers in New York City are allowed to remain on the road despite having a long record of violations. If a driver is caught blowing through a red light or school zone by a traffic cop, they face serious consequences, including heavy fines, points on their license, license suspension or even jail time. But if that same driver is issued a summons by a traffic camera, they get off with a slap on the wrist — a fine of only $50 and no points on their license. This disparate treatment allows thousands of dangerous drivers to remain behind the wheel, according to the report released by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Over the past two years, nearly 3.5 million tickets have been issued to drivers caught by traffic cameras while speeding through school zones or running a red light. Stringer’s report shows that a significant number of those issued tickets are serial offenders who have racked up multiple violations. The report comes amid calls for greater city and state action to reduce pedestrian fatalities, following tragic incidents in Brooklyn. (via Brooklyn Eagle)
 
~WILLIAMSBURG EATERY WOWS AFTER REVAMP: Nearly six years after opening, Reynard in Williamsburg’s Wythe Hotel underwent a complete revamp and now boasts a new chef with a complex menu featuring dishes like pumpkin and pig’s face. Christina Lecki joined as head chef in the summer after leading a Michelin Star kitchen for years, bringing in-depth methods of cooking to Reynard’s new menu. The pumpkin for example undergoes an overnight session of being slowly roasted by dying embers from the end of service before it meets the next day’s preparations. From being a restaurant that hadn’t exactly centered around the food before, Eater New York now called Reynard one of the best revamped kitchens of 2017. (via Eater New York)
 
~COUNCILMEMBER LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO KUSHNER COS.:Councilmember Ritchie Torres not only threw blame to Jared Kushner’scompany Kushner Cos. for allegedly lying about housing rent-regulated tenants, but also to the city for not catching the discrepancy. Kushner Cos. is accused of filing more than 80 construction permit applications for buildings across the city, saying it had no rent-regulated tenants. In actuality, a tenants’ rights watchdog found tax documents showed more than 300 rent-regulated units in the company’s buildings. “The scandal is not only the deception of Kushner Cos., the scandal is the dysfunction of the city bureaucracy,” Torres said. “The right hand of the city government didn’t know what the left hand was doing.” When asked about the issue, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that “if it proves to be true that they lied to evade regulation, they have a problem on their hands.” (via NYT)

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Staff Picks:   
 

LONG READ: Think New York City is dirty now? Imagine living there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the streets were notorious for their heaps of garbage and dead horses. (via Collectors Weekly)
 
ANOTHER LONG READ: Police Corruption: In 81 cases where NYPD officers lied, the department only pursued charges twice. (via NYT)  
 
CULTURE: “Diddy Opens Up About Biggie’s Death and the Secret ProjectHe’s Working on with Jay-Z” (via GQ)
 
EAT: Buck a Shuck: Here are the 22 best places to get dollar oysters in New York City, including seven spots in Brooklyn. (via Eater)  

 
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NATIONAL BULLETIN: A student gunman attacks a school in Maryland, injuring at least two…There’s a Frito-Lay shortage in New York City delis…And a fifth package explodes in Texas. (via USA Today, New York Post and NYT)         
 
FOREIGN FLASH: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince meets with President Trumpat the White House…The world’s last male northern white rhino dies in Kenya…And an Iraqi doctor claims to have the rope used to hang Saddam Hussein. (via NYT, USA Today and Time)                        
 
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 ROYAL WATCH: What do LeBron James, Angelina Jolie and Michelle Obama all have in common? (via Cheat Sheet)

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BROOKLYN TONIGHT   
 

8:00AM – 6:00PM — Katie Shima: What time is it there? at BRIC House.Details.
 
10:00AM — Storytime & Sensory Lounge at 1 John St. Details.
 
11:00AM – 5:00PM — Sharon Brant: Plenty at Minus Space. Details.  
 
11:00AM – 6:00PM — Rodin at the Brooklyn Museum: The Body in Bronze at Brooklyn Museum. Details.
 
12:00PM — Behind the MTA Arts & Design Projects at 92nd Street Y. Details.
 
12:00PM – 5:00PM — Until Everyone Has it Made: Jackie Robinson’s Legacy at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.  
 
12:00PM – 6:00PM — Darkness Visible at El Museo del Los Sures. Details.   
 
5:30PM – 7:30PM — Legacy Letters and Ethical Wills at PSS Coming of Age.Details.
 
6:30PM – 8:30PM — Freedom of Expression: The Never-Ending Fight at Brooklyn Historical Society. Details.
 
7:30PM — Quizz Off at Pete’s Candy Store. Details.          

   

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 EAGLE SPORTS: The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies came into Barclays Center this week looking like teams hoping to better their respective positions in June’s NBA Draft. The Brooklyn Nets don’t have that problem. Or should we call it a luxury? Buoyed by a pair of lockdown fourth-quarter defensive performances, the previously struggling Nets took full advantage of a pair of teams on the “tank,” rallying for their first two-game winning streak in two months. “I think in the fourth quarter we put a lot more resistance on and we became a lot more physical,” Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Nets pulled out a 118-115 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday night. “Giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter, I thought that was key. Seventeen last game [versus Dallas in the fourth quarter], 21 this game. The defense was good again in the fourth quarter.” (via Brooklyn Eagle)

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MILESTONES
 
Happy birthday to Marit Bjoergen, Matthew Broderick, Peter Brook, Timothy Dalton, Scott Eastwood, Kevin Federline, Rosie O’Donnell, Gary Oldman, Adrian Peterson and Ronaldinho!


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