Around Brooklyn: Fire truck crashes into Gravesend storefront

December 23, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Gravesend. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Fire truck crashes into Gravesend storefront

An FDNY fire truck, rushing to a fire, collided with another car, then smashed into a storefront on Sunday night, according to police. Five firefighters were taken to NYU Lutheran Medical Center and listed in stable condition after the 11:30 incident in Gravesend. The fire truck was less than two miles from its destination when it collided with a car, then smashed into the window of Coquette Kids, a children’s clothing store at 439 Avenue U, police said. The car’s driver was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with minor injuries, NBC News said.

Planned Williamsburg hotel files for bankruptcy

The owners of a planned hotel and residential tower across the street from Peter Luger Steakhouse in Williamsburg have filed for bankruptcy. The Chapter 11 court filing covers a planned 26-story tower at 159 Broadway that includes apartments and a 235-room hotel that was slated to open in the second half of 2021. The owners, 159 Broadway Member LLC and WB Bridge Hotel LLC, listed assets and liabilities of $10 million to $50 million in a petition filed in Manhattan. Construction had already started on 159 Broadway, which included plans for a restaurant, sky bar, pool and condominiums, according to Patch.

Montgomery and Wright’s foster care bill becomes law

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Gowanus, Park Slope) and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright’s (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Brooklyn) Foster Care Re-Entry bill (S8834/A10581-B) was signed into law last Friday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This law makes it easier for young people who aged out of foster care to return to placement if they need it for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency. “COVID-19 has had a multiplier effect on the struggles faced by our most vulnerable populations. Young people aging out of foster care already face immense hurdles as they try to secure stable housing, employment and healthcare,” said Montgomery.

Treyger’s school bills passed

Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) last week had two pieces of legislation that he introduced pass unanimously: Intro 2104-2020, the Remote Learning Metrics bill, and Intro 2058-2020, the Remote Learning Student Attendance Data bill were enacted as local laws. Intro 2104 will require the NYC Department of Education (DOE) to report on a series of metrics any time the department is providing any type of remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Intro 2058 will mandate that the DOE report monthly on school attendance records when remote learning is utilized.

Upscale grocer signs lease at Boerum Hill condo

Adam America, an active Brooklyn real estate developer, recently announced that Downtown Organic Market, a high-end grocer, has signed a retail lease at 561 Pacific, a new condo in Boerum Hill. “We are excited to welcome Downtown Organic Market into the community,” said Omri Sachs, the cofounder of Adam America Real Estate. “It’s always our goal to improve the quality of life for all residents in the neighborhoods we enter, so it’s rewarding to bring in a retailer that will fill a real need and deliver top-of-the-line organic foods.” Downtown Organic Market will offer a curated selection of organic foods, with a particular focus on locally sourced produce, meats, cheeses and breads. The upscale store will also feature a juice bar, salad bar and prepared meals, and will provide complimentary meals and drinks to 561 Pacific residents upon their first visit. Downtown Organic Market is set to officially open May 2021.

Bushwick senior dies after getting hit by car

A 77-year-old woman has died after she was hit by a car while crossing the street in Bushwick on Friday, according to police. She was crossing a crosswalk on DeKalb Avenue near Irving Avenue around 6:45 p.m. when she was hit by a Honda that was traveling east on DeKalb Avenue, according to reports. She was taken to Elmhurst Avenue in stable condition but died of her injuries on Saturday. The driver, age 29, stayed at the scene of the crash, according to Patch.

Restaurants have heated outdoor dining

While the state has once again forbid indoor dining in New York City, there are quite a few restaurants in Brooklyn that offer heated outdoor dining, as the Eagle mentioned in a recent feature article. New York Eater recently mentioned 15, and we’ll list five: Kokomo, a Williamsburg newcomer; Bolero, an upscale Vietnamese spot on Bedford Avenue; Birds of a Feature, a Szechuan Chinese favorite on Grand Street; Ainslie, another Williamsburg restaurant; and Otis, a Bushwick restaurant that’s now putting the finishing touches on its tent, which will be ready for diners on Dec. 23.

Bushwick activist: We didn’t know about pipeline

Patti Rodriguez, a longtime Bushwick activist and community organizer, says that she didn’t know about the North Brooklyn Pipeline being constructed in the area until she heard about it from the anti-fracking advocacy group Sane Energy Project. National Grid, which is building pipeline, which is slated to carry fracked gas from Pennsylvania, says it did community outreach in the area. Rodriguez disputes the claim. “I’m a community organizer,” she told the Guardian. “So if I didn’t know about it, then obviously other people didn’t know about it.” The pipeline would not serve the city’s residents and would be paid for by a rate hike, the Guardian said.

Bed-Stuy nonprofit gets Microsoft grant

Bridge Street Development Corp., a Bed-Stuy nonprofit, has been named one of 50 recipients of a Microsoft grant program to accelerate job training and digital skills development in Black communities. BSDC President and CEO Gregory Anderson said, “The economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating rate of global digital transformation marks this as an important time for Bridge Street Development to expand its professional skills development programs,” Microsoft’s program is composed of a multi-year cash grant plus leadership opportunities from industry experts, according to BK Reader.

Family pleads for daughter’s return

A family is hoping for the safe return for Lynette Hernandez, a 27-year-old mother who was planning to move in with her boyfriend in Brooklyn. She had been living with her mother, Lourdes Pinzon, in Nassau County. Pinzon said she last saw her daughter on Sept. 19. On Oct. 10, Pinzon called the boyfriend, who told her the last time he had seen Lynette was on Oct. 4, and that he didn’t know where she was. Pinzon kept trying to reach Hernandez on the phone, but it had been disconnected, according to NBC News. Hernandez left her 6-year-old daughter with Pinzon, and the toddler keeps asking Pinzon where her mother is.

Fatal shooting at Prospect Heights nightclub

Two men were shot, one fatally, inside a Brooklyn nightclub early on Monday morning, police reported. The fatal incident happened at about 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 21 at the Milk River Lounge at 960 Atlantic Ave. in Prospect Heights. Officers from the 77th Precinct, responding to a 911 call, found a 32-year-old man shot in the chest. Paramedics rushed him to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The second shooting victim, a 37-year-old man, was taken by private means to Brooklyn Hospital. He was listed in stable condition, according to press reports.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.