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Around Brooklyn: Restore indoor dining, say Brannan, Gounardes

August 21, 2020 Editorial Staff

Notable architect John J. Petit designed 1203 Albemarle Road. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Restore indoor dining, say Brannan, Gounardes

City Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) and State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Gerritsen Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park) have called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to prioritize issuing guidance on indoor dining for the five boroughs. Indoor dining has been allowed to resume with guidelines elsewhere in New York State. “Right now, New Yorkers can travel a few miles to Long Island or Westchester for indoor dining and then come right back to New York City,” Brannan and Gounardes said in a joint statement. “We need an explanation as to how that is any safer than allowing indoor dining in New York City.”

Brooklyn family thrown off plane after toddler wouldn’t wear mask

A Brooklyn mother was kicked off a Newark-bound JetBlue plane in Orlando, Florida, with her six children after her 2-year-old daughter would not wear a mask. Chaya Bruck, of Midwood, told WNBC that when she boarded the flight with her kids on Wednesday, her youngest child, Dina, refused to wear the mask, leading to an argument with a flight attendant. Bruck told the flight attendant that she tried to put the mask on, but the toddler kept taking it off. “A few minutes later, they came to me and they told me that I have to gather my things and I have to get off the plane,” said Bruck, according to the New York Post. Passengers on the plane supported Bruck and her family.

Alleged kidnapper’s plot foiled by mom

A Bensonhurst man kidnapped an 11-year-old girl as she waited for a bus, but the plot was thwarted by the man’s mother, police said. Boruch Lapp, 29, was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly grabbed the young girl from her summer camp bus stop on the corner of Bay Parkway and 77th Street in Bensonhurst. “Your mom called me, she wants me to show you something,” he allegedly told the child. Police said he then took her to his bedroom. However, the scheme was ruined when Lapp’s mother found the girl in the bedroom and called the police, according to the New York Post.

Coney rally against gun violence

Brooklyn residents came to Asser Levy Park in Coney Island to rally against gun violence recently. Shootings have become almost a daily occurrence in Brooklyn. One person at the rally, Phil Wong, said, “It is absolutely out of control in a matter of months.” Councilmember Chaim Deutsch said, “There’s no reason I have to visit a 1-year-old child’s mother in Bed-Stuy for going out to a barbecue in the park and getting shot.” People at the rally say their main message is to put the weapons down, according to NY 12 News.

Couple explains ‘Black-Owned Brooklyn’ blog’s success

The “Black-Owned Brooklyn” blog reveals a wide range of businesses, from coffee shops and grocery stores to fitness studios. Tayo and Cynthia Gordy Giwa started the site in 2018 to highlight minority-owned businesses. In two and a half years, the husband-and-wife team have gotten about 90,000 readers. “Business owners constantly tell us there’s an extraordinary bump in their business following our feature,” Tayo Giwa said. The Giwas say that response takes on special meaning now as small businesses everywhere struggle, according to NY1 News.

Slope one of areas least affected by virus

New data on COVID-19 antibody tests in New York City shows that Park Slope has been among the communities least hard-hit by the virus. Only 13.2 percent of the roughly 16,400 people who got tested for coronavirus antibodies in Park Slope’s 11215 ZIP code since the start of the pandemic tested positive, according to data released by the Department of Health on Tuesday. However, Borough Park, also in Brooklyn, had the second-highest rate in New York City, with 48 percent of antibody tests coming back positive. The antibody tests, also known as serology tests, indicate whether a person may have been exposed to the virus, by examining their bloodstream for antibodies, according to Patch.

Cop charged with stealing money on the job

An NYPD detective has been charged with stealing money while working on the job in Bushwick, police said. Det. Samuel Lallave, 53, assigned to Narcotics for Brooklyn North, was arrested just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday night and issued a desk appearance ticket for the offense. Police sources say authorities set up a sting and caught Lallave stealing money from a house where he was doing an investigation. There reportedly had been previous complaints about the detective stealing money. Lallave is also one of several cops named in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a Crown Heights man who was choked the point of unconsciousness, according to the New York Post. The detective is accused of failing to help the man.

Ortiz slams DSA Israel question

Assemblymember Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park-Red Hook) released a statement on the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA’s) “Israel question.” “I deplore the effort by the NYC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America to ask candidates to pledge not to visit Israel as part of organized educational and cultural missions,” he said. “This anti-Semitic and hateful action runs against everything we believe in as Americans. We do not need a so-called ‘progressive’ organization to promote backward and discriminatory positions to make things worse.”

Fourth Avenue bike lane to be extended

Transportation officials recently announced plans to finish the last segment of the Fourth Avenue bike lane project, a 14-block gap between First Street and Flatbush Avenue. The move comes over a year after the lane was originally installed between 64th Street in Sunset Park and First Street in Park Slope. The city Department of Transportation at the time told community residents that they could not extend the lane past First Street due to heavy traffic in the area. Elected officials and local bicyclists hailed the recent announcement as a step closer to having a complete bike network, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

Video shows Flatbush shooting

A gunman fired about a half-dozen rounds in a daylight shooting in Flatbush, a new video released by police shows. The video shows the man firing a handgun out the driver’s window of a gray BMWX5 just before 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, near the corner of Ocean and Woodruff Avenues. The SUV, which had temporary plates in the rear window, then sped off. An 18-year-old man later died from gunshot wounds to his chest and the arms, while a 33-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting but was expected to be OK, according to the New York Post. Police released the video to track down the driver.

Rose: We need more coronavirus help

U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-Southern Brooklyn-Staten Island) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers yesterday in calling on Congressional leadership to return to the negotiating table in order to address the desperate need for additional COVID-19 relief. “It’s appalling that Mayor de Blasio is threatening to fire hundreds of EMTs and paramedics — who have gone through hell for this city due to COVID-19. But let’s be clear: the coronavirus budget gaps our state and city are facing will have grave consequences and it’s a direct result of D.C. Republicans trying to bankrupt New York,” he said.

Diocese prepares for in-person learning

Catholic schools in Diocese of Brooklyn, which also includes Queens, have been getting ready to resume in-person learning. At the Bay Ridge Catholic Academy, for example, cleaning crews in hazmat suits were deep-cleaning. “Getting ready for this year has been unique to say the least,” Principal Kevin Flanagan said. As students walk into buildings, devices will read their temperatures. And the number of students per classroom has been scaled down for social distancing.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.