Around Brooklyn: Cornegy withholds votes to protest police shootings

August 28, 2020 Editorial Staff

On Surf Avenue, Nathan’s was open for takeout and delivery the day I visited Coney Island. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Nathan’s on Surf Avenue. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Cornegy withholds votes to protest police shootings

Councilmember Robert Cornegy (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant-Northern Crown Heights) withheld his vote during Thursday’s City Council meeting to protest ongoing police shootings and violence against Black citizens. “While we as a body under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson have made tremendous strides in working toward equity in minority communities in New York City, I will not be voting on any matters before the New York City Council today,” he said.

Colton calls for restaurant plan

Assemblyman William Colton (D-Gravesend-Bensonhurst-Bath Beach-Dyker Heights) recently called on Mayor Bill de Blasio and city health officials to come up with a detailed safety guideline for restaurants to resume indoor dining in New York City. “Food service and dining industry took the hardest hit during this crisis. Although, NYC entered Phase 2 of the NY State reopening plan which allowed outdoor dining on June 22, 2020, without indoor dining, an overwhelming majority of restaurants are struggling to survive, and 200,000 industry workers are left jobless,” Colton stated.

Car slams into indoor dining area

A woman was injured when a car struck an outdoor dining area in Greenpoint and kept on driving. The incident happened in front of Café Alula on Franklin Street around 11:50 a.m. on Thursday. A gray Toyota Camry was making a right turn on Franklin Street when it struck a barricade in the street. The barricade then hit a woman who was dining at the café. She was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in stable condition. Cops are continuing to search for the driver, according to ABC7.

Beer garden set to open in Red Hook

A group of Red Hook businesspeople are launching a new beer garden and family-friendly restaurant on Conover Street on weekends beginning on Friday, Sept. 4, in a formerly vacant space. Local architect Alex Washburn, who owns the lot, asked David Wiesner to run the outdoor brew garden every weekend while he works on getting permits to eventually develop a residential building there. The garden will feature beers from the nearby Sixpoint Brewery as well as food trucks, flea markets, Astroturf for social-distanced bocce and a sandbox for children to play in, according to amNewYork.

NYU Langone launches lung cancer surgery

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in America, and each year it claims more residents. To improve access to treatment, NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn has launched a lung cancer surgery program. Travis Geraci, MD, has been appointed to head the program at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and Perlmutter Cancer Center-Sunset Park. The expansion of lung cancer surgery into Brooklyn will complement the diagnostic ability of NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn’s pulmonary medicine team to local potentially cancerous groups deep within the airways of the lungs, according to Yahoo Finance.

Frontus: Ferry plan must include creek cleanup

Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island-Bath Beach-Bay Ridge-Brighton Beach) announced recently that the proposed Coney Island ferry landing should not go forward without a plan to clean up Coney Island Creek. “I share the community’s enthusiasm for bringing ferry service to Coney Island, but I join with local activists and environmental experts who have serious concerns about construction at the proposed location,” Frontus said in her letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The proposed ferry landing is at Kaiser Park, off the notoriously polluted creek.

Antiquarian Book Fair goes virtual

Thanks to the proprietary platform created by Marvin Getman of Getman’s Virtual Book and Paper Fairs, the Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair is going online this year. As always, visitors will be able to browse through all of the more than 150 exhibitors’ booths or quickly find their favorite dealers. Attendees can also use the search feature to browse by category, price range or any other search term to find specific items of interest. The fair will run from Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 3. For more information, visit brooklynbookfair.com.

Sheepshead Bay man robbed for pricey jewelry

A 68-year-old man walking home in Sheepshead Bay was attacked and robbed of his $8,300 Rolex at gunpoint, police said. One of two robbers approached him on Bedford Avenue near Avenue T around 11:20 a.m. on August 11, asking for directions to Kings Place. When the victim was distracted, the accomplice grabbed him from behind and threw him to the pavement. The first man then pulled out a gun and stole the watch, along with a bracelet worth $3,500, a ring worth $1,200 and a necklace worth $1,500, according to the Daily News.

Bill would establish hospital gender equity board

City Councilmember Helen Rosenthal recently announced legislation that would establish a Gender Equity Advisory Board for New York City’s hospitals. Her legislation seeks to address ongoing and pervasive gender-based discrimination, harassment and assault experienced by staff, students and faculty and health care institutions. “Women make up close to 80 percent of the health care workforce,” said Rosenthal. “Their mistreatment in the workplace endangers not only their personal well-being, but the safety and outcomes of the patients they serve.”

Brooklyn mother prays for son’s recovery after hit-run

A Brooklyn mother is praying for her son’s recovery after a hit-and-run left him in a coma. The accident last week left 18-year-old Isaiah Benloss in a medically induced coma with severe head trauma. Benloss was on his way home from a friend’s house last week when the Lyft he was riding in was hit by an Audi with three men inside. The Audi hit several parked cars, then collided with the Lyft at Ocean Avenue and Beverly Road. Friends have started a GoFundMe page for Benloss, who was enrolled at Staten Island Community College.

Yihai buys Williamsburg luxury building

Yihai North America has completed its $45.3 million acquisition of 111 Kent, a 62-unit luxury building in Williamsburg. The building was sold by American Realty Advisors. Work on the seven-story complex began in 2008, but because of the financial crisis, the work wasn’t completed until 2012. The building has a swimming pool, a gym, basement parking and concierge service, It also is close to the Bedford Avenue subway station and the North Williamsburg ferry terminal, according to Multi-Housing News.

Brooklyn developer charged with fraud

A Brooklyn developer who bought a landmark building in Burlington County, N.J., to convert into luxury apartments has been charged with impersonation and forgery. Raphael Weiss of East 18th Street allegedly used the credentials of a potential subcontractor to fraudulently gain official approval for electrical permits. Weiss was charged with computer criminal activity, impersonation and more than 30 counts of forgery, according to the Burlington Voice.

Power outages reported in Brooklyn, Bronx

Power outages on Friday were reported in Brooklyn and the Bronx due to the hot weather. Altogether, more than 750 customers were without power across New York City and Westchester. Around 325 outages were reported in Brooklyn, with most of them in Dyker Heights along 10th Avenue and 70th Street, Con Edison said. In Williamsburg, approximately 100 customers had no power. In the Bronx, outages were reported in Riverdale and Throggs Neck, according to News 12 Brooklyn.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.