Around Brooklyn: Montgomery supports Industry City rezoning

September 8, 2020 Editorial Staff

Italian-born sculptor Adolfo Apolloni designed this angel. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Italian-born sculptor Adolfo Apolloni designed this angel at The Green-Wood Cemetery. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Share this:

Montgomery supports Industry City rezoning

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene-Red Hook, Bed-Stuy-Sunset Park-Gowanus) recently wrote to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson about her support of the Industry City rezoning. “This is a very important issue to me. Having represented both, I view Industry City and Brooklyn Navy Yard as vital economic engines for our borough and our city. Both industrial complexes are critical to the city’s economic growth. Both Industry City and Brooklyn Navy Yard provide much-needed incubator space for new and small businesses,” she said.

From Fairway to Food Bazaar in Red Hook

Food Bazaar, which is taking over a bankrupt Fairway location in Red Hook, plans to build upon Fairway’s reputation in the neighborhood. It will retain all of the Fairway employees and some of Fairway’s features such as gourmet cheese, in-house roasted coffee and more. At the same time, it will bring its own signature items. Food Bazaar was founded in 1988 in Queens, according to Brownstoner.

Man found dead next to bloody axe

Police are investigating how a 33-year-old man wound up dead, lying in a pool of blood in Flatbush next to an axe early Friday morning. The man was found in the road at the corner of Flatbush and Ditmas avenues at around 12:30 a.m., police said. Photos from the scene show an axe in the street and pools of blood next to a Nissan SUV with its driver-side door open. The man died at Kings County Hospital after suffering from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the New York Post.

Man arrested in Williamsburg attack on woman

An arrest has been made in the beating and attempted sexual assault of a woman on a Brooklyn sidewalk. Police said Joshua Cruz, 27, was arrested on Friday afternoon and is now facing four counts of assault as well as charges of sexual abuse and forcible touching. The attack happened on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at the southwest corner of Division Avenue and Rodney Street. The middle-aged woman was walking to work when the man came up from behind, lifted her up and slammed her onto the sidewalk. He then repeatedly punched her on the face and body and tried to take her pants off, police said.

Pro-Trump newspaper mysteriously appears

Dozens of Central and East Brooklyn residents have been receiving unsolicited copies of the Epoch Times, a pro-Trump newspaper with ties to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, on their doorstep or by direct mail. Most have never seen the paper before. The newspaper is fiercely opposed to China’s communist government, and often publishes special reports on China. An NBC News report said the Epoch Times spent more than $1.5 million on pro-Trump ads on Facebook in 2019, according to BK Reader. One observer said the paper’s new distribution could be an attempt to cut into Joe Biden’s support in the Black community.

Brooklyn pizza, Michigan-style

Brooklyn Pizza in Birmingham, Michigan, is expanding beyond its usual pizzas and gelato. It now has a full bar and an expanded dining room and has received a liquor license. The pizza shop, which was founded in 1996, was inspired by the pizza found in Brooklyn, New York, according to Downtown Newsmagazine, a local Michigan publication. “We’ve always wanted to expand and give customers more space to enjoy their Brooklyn pizza,” said owner Sam Abdelfatah.

Malliotakis slams NYC on federal funding

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) recently made a statement on New York City’s request for federal funding. “President Trump is sending a clear message to Bill de Blasio and New York City’s left-wing elected officials; you can’t break federal laws with radical far left policies and squander billions in tax dollars on pet projects like Thrive NYC, then defund the NYPD with expectations that the federal government will bail you out,” she said. Thrive NYC is a project that promotes mental health and is being promoted by NYC First Lady Chirlaine McCray.

Company grows colorful, exotic mushrooms

Smallhold, a specialty mushroom business, is slated to open in South Williamsburg toward the end of September. The company specializes in growing and selling lesser-known, often colorful varieties of mushrooms that don’t necessarily look like the mushrooms we see in the supermarket. The names are also colorful, such as the pink oyster and the lion’s mane. The business was started by Andrew Carter and Andrew Di Martino, who met as students at the University of Vermont, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Illegal karaoke bar raided in Borough Park

New York City Sheriff’s deputies raided an illegal karaoke bar in Borough Park at around 2 a.m. on Sunday and found nearly 300 people inside. Police said the bar, which had once been legitimate, had its liquor license revoked in 2019. In addition to having too many people inside under state codes, the bar had only one exit, which would have led to tragedy in the event of fire. Six people were arrested for various offenses, including child endangerment, since there was a child inside, according to Fox5 News.

New building planned for Bushwick

Permits have been filed for a four-story, mixed-use building at 412 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick. The lot, located between Himrod and Harman streets, is currently occupied by a three-story commercial building. It is two blocks from the M train’s Knickerbocker Avenue subway station. The building is slated to have six apartments, most likely rentals, as well as 1,508 square feet of commercial space and 417 square feet of community facility space. Edward Dabbah of Rochelle’s Youth Center is listed as the owner, and Henry Radusky of Bricolage Designs is listed as the architect of record, according to New York YIMBY.

Woman’s lifeless body found on E. Flatbush roof

The body of a 30-year-old, partially clad woman was found on the roof of a building in East Flatbush on Monday morning, police said. The woman, who was not immediately identified, was found at around 8:30 a.m., wrapped in a plastic tarp, on the roof of 277 Rockaway Parkway after neighbors saw the body from a nearby building. Police from the 67th Precinct were not immediately able to determine the cause of death, but are treating the incident as a homicide, according to amNewYork.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.