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Around Brooklyn: Reich: Six at Brooklyn Whole Foods warehouse positive for COVID-19

December 7, 2020 Editorial Staff
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is so pretty in the March sunshine. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle
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Reich: Six at Brooklyn Whole Foods warehouse positive for COVID

At least six workers at Amazon’s Whole Foods warehouse in Industry City have tested positive for COVID since Oct. 22, and social distancing is “discouraged” at the warehouse, according to a tweet by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. Representatives for Whole Foods did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Reich’s accusation. Amazon, owner of Whole Foods, announced in early October that nearly 20,000 of its frontline workers at both companies have been either infected with the virus or presumed to be COVID-19 positive since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the New York Post.

‘Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ forgotten follow-up

While Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is still famous worldwide, its follow-up, “Tomorrow Will be Better,” is a “forgotten follow-up” that deserves to be reconsidered, according to Maureen Corrigan of the Washington Post. “The very things that made it an awkward follow-up to its revered predecessor — its cynicism about the American Dream; its innate feminism; its depiction of sexual dissatisfaction in marriage — make it a more intriguing novel now,” Corrigan says. The book, published in 1948, tells the story of Margy, a 17-year-old Brooklyn girl who works at a mail-order house near the Brooklyn docks in the 1920s and has a crush on a boy who lives in a nearby tenement.

6-year-old calls 911 after mother is stabbed

A 6-year-old girl in Prospect Heights called 911 Sunday morning after her mother was stabbed during a domestic dispute, police said. Cops said the mother was stabbed twice in her apartment during a fight with her boyfriend shortly before 2 a.m. The boyfriend then fled the apartment and the girl picked up the phone and dialed 911. The girl also made another call to 911 to tell the dispatcher that her mother was bleeding from her mouth and body. The woman was taken to New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and is expected to survive, according to the New York Post.

Grill N Dine in Midwood praised

Grill N Dine on Coney Island Avenue and Cortelyou Road was praised in a review on BKLYNER, and its Lunch Box Special was highlighted. The restaurant is one of several South Asian eateries in the neighborhood. The Lunch Box Special comes with chicken tikka, a kebab, rice, nanna, salad and a soda. “The naan was fluffy, and there was more than enough to wrap the meat with. Even the heaping pile of rice, which is often a bland afterthought with this kind of lunch special, was flavorful,” the reviewer said.

Adams says no to fare hike

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has expressed his opposition to a proposed fare hike by the MTA starting in 2021. He said the hike will fall hardest on those who can afford it least, particularly low-income riders and frontline workers already struggling to keep up with basic expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic downturn. “The proposed fare hikes by the MTA would create even greater financial strain on Black and Brown and low-income New Yorkers, who are already reeling from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Weeksville sponsors virtual Kwanzaa fest

Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, in partnership with Weeksville Heritage Center, will present Kwanzaa Fest 2020: Rising in Principle on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m., held virtually. Featured artists will include the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, the Brooklyn United Marching Band, the Forces of Nature Dance Theater, Immanuel Wiklins and more. Presenters will include Judge Robin Sheares, former Councilmember Annette Robinson, Councilmember Robert Cornegy, State Sen. Kevin Parker, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke and more. The tradition of Kwanzaa began in 1966 and is based on the Nuguzo Saba, or seven principles.

Santa Claus is coming to Heights pub

On Saturday, Dec. 12, Santa Claus is coming to the Brooklyn Heights gastropub Estuary. Between noon and 3 p.m., families are invited to the large heated patio at ONE 15 Brooklyn Marina (Pier 5 at Brooklyn Bridge Park) to enjoy hot chocolate by master chocolatier Christophe Toury, take socially distanced photos with Santa and join a raffle to win a number of exciting prizes.

Shooting in motion on Belt Parkway

Cops are looking for a suspect who shot a 22-year-old driver in the back on a Belt Parkway exit on Friday afternoon. The victim drove off the parkway at Rockaway Avenue, Exit 13. As he did, an unknown suspect in another car opened fire on him, hitting the victim in the back. The wounded victim then drove for about two miles before crashing his car into a row of parked cars, police said. The man was taken to Brookdale Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to published reports.

Two high-rise buildings planned for Coney Island

Plans have been filed for two high-rise buildings in Coney Island, one 26 stories and the other 16 stories. The buildings will have the addresses 1515 Surf Ave. and 2929 West 16th St. The site, currently a parking lot, is two blocks from the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway terminal. The taller building will have 322 apartments, while the smaller one will have 139. Enclosed parking spaces are also planned for the development, which will contain a mix of market-rate and affordable housing. The developer is listed as LCOR, while the architect of record is Studio V Architecture, according to New York YIMBY.

Six-story building planned for Williamsburg

A six-story building with both residential and commercial space is planned for 286 Wythe Ave. in Williamsburg, currently an empty lot. The building is slated to have 45 apartments, most likely rentals, as well as 23 enclosed parking spaces and stores on the ground floor. Moshe Graver is listed as the developer, while Fabria Makooi of Fischer and Makooi Architects is listed as the architect of record, according to New York YIMBY.

Boro Park Jewish group plans Chanukah celebration

On Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m., the Boro Park Jewish Community Council is hosting a virtual event with a mission of bringing the light of Chanukah into the homes of elderly Holocaust survivors. The virtual event, which can be registered for on the council’s website, includes performances by Orthodox Jewish entertainers. In addition, a Chanukah package will be delivered to all Holocaust survivors in the area who pre-register for the event. The package will include a Chanukah meal, party favors, gifts and more.

COVID gives rise to new food business

A Brooklyn woman, Tiffany France, has responded to the coronavirus pandemic by starting a new business. She always made charcuterie boards for family gatherings, and has started making charcuterie boxes for sale, containing meats, pickles, olives, fruit, cheese and baked goods. She at first started giving them out in the park, and eventually founded a company, Cheese & Things, which is accessible via the company’s Instagram page, according to published reports. Although she’s worked as a human resources director, France has always had her own businesses, most recently making children’s sweaters.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.

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