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Around Brooklyn: Jewish pols to endorse Andrew Yang

May 4, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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Jewish pols to endorse Andrew Yang

Two Jewish politicians from Southern Brooklyn and several prominent local rabbis are expected to endorse mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. Among them are Assemblymember Simcha Eisenstein and Councilmember Kalman Yeger, the Yang campaign confirmed. The endorsement ceremony had been planned for Sunday, but it was postponed because many people are mourning the 45 people killed in a stampede in Israel, according to the New York Post.

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Full library service returns at some branches

Several branches of the Brooklyn Public Library are reopening for in-person browsing and computer use as of May 10. They include Brownsville, Canarsie, Central Branch, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Fort Hamilton, Greenpoint, Kings Highway, Midwood, Mill Basin and Red Hook. The library system is asking patrons to wear masks, practice social distancing and adhere to time limits, according to BK Reader. The library system said it plans to eventually open all branches for computer use and browsing.

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Greenpoint artist starts ‘treasure hunt’

For many years, Greenpoint artist Steve Wasterval has painted tiny impressionist-style street scenes for its residents to find, according to Reuters. Wasterval stopped leaving the photos outside during the COVID pandemic, but has decided to hide his “mini-masterpieces” again for his neighbors to find. His full-sized paintings sell between $2,000 and $3,000, but his mini-paintings of Greenpoint are free. Wasterval says he leaves clues online as to where the paintings are.

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Domino prepares for office conversion

Construction work is starting for the office conversion of the 140-year-old Domino Sugar Refinery at 292 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg. Designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) and developed by Two Trees, the project is the centerpiece of the Domino Sugar master plan by SHoP Architects and James Corner Field Operations and involves the construction of a massive barrel-vaulted glass roof atop the former factory. When complete, the structure will top out at 235 feet tall, while the interiors will be gutted and restored. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the proposal in 2017 for the property, according to New York YIMBY.

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Homeowner finds lambs outside

A homeowner in Marine Park called 911 on Friday to report that a group of young sheep had gathered in his back alley. Photos show the lambs huddled together on a narrow concrete space near a garden horse before police got them into a trailer for transportation. It wasn’t clear where they’d come from, but they were estimated to less than 1 year old, according to Fox Five. They were taken to an animal sanctuary.

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Driver runs over school bus operator

Video from April 30 that the NYPD released Saturday morning shows an angry hit-and-run driver running over a school bus driver on a street in New Lots. The victim, a 44-year-old woman, suffered severe body trauma in the attack, which took place at the corner of Hinsdale Street and Linden Boulevard. The school bus had stopped for a light with the perp and his Subaru SUV directly behind it. He got out of the car and walked to the front of the bus, apparently to confront the driver. Seconds later, the two of them were talking in the street when the Subaru driver returned to his car and drove right over the victim, according to Fox Five News.

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Lime launches mopeds in NYC

Lime, a competitor to Revel, launched 100 mopeds in Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan this past weekend. “In that helmet box, we have infrared technology. That is the first time it has ever existed within a shared context, where we are detecting it has a helmet, and we also know if you have taken out a helmet at the beginning of the ride and so if you don’t have the helmet on, we can send you a reminder or even slow that ride down,” said CEO Wayne Ting. The company eventually plans to extend to the Bronx, according to News 12.

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Sikh man attacked in hotel

A Sikh man who is the operations manager of the Quality Inn on Osborn Street in Brownsville was attacked by a man with a hammer on Monday morning. Video released by police shows the suspect coming into the building, spitting on him and yelling at him. When the manager, 32-year-old Sumit Ahluwalia, said, “Hey brother, what happened,” the man answered “You’re not my brother, you’re not the same skin. I don’t like you.” Ahluwalia, who immigrated to the United States two years ago, said he believes that his turban saved him, according to CBS News.

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Robbery spree began in Brooklyn

The well-publicized gunpoint theft of a Maserati in Hell’s Kitchen was part of a two-hour crime spree that began in Brooklyn, according to the Daily News. Around 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the two crooks pulled a gun on a man near the corner of Baltic and Smith streets. They demanded the man’s wallet and also grabbed some personal items before fleeing and heading into Manhattan. Police released surveillance photos of the men on Saturday. One was wearing a camouflage jacket and had dreadlocks, while the other was wearing a black hoodie.

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A piano building emerges in Bushwick

An unusual apartment building at 334 Evergreen Ave. in Bushwick has a façade that is a mock-up of a piano keyboard. “I started working on the exterior design and the idea of doing a piano just hit me because we had room for it and the client likes unique and interesting designs,” designer Yochi Nussenzweig of INEX Design, the firm behind the concept, told Time Out New York. Inside the building, the laundry room is decorated with cassette tape wallpaper, and yet another huge keyboard is in the lobby. The building is still under construction.

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Affordable lottery opens in Bed-Stuy

An affordable housing lottery has launched at 1255 Bedford Ave., a six-story residential building in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The building, designed by LND Architects, has 12 units. Available on NYC Housing Connects are two units for residents whose income ranges from $75,429 to $139,620. Amenities include an elevator, a shared laundry room, bike storage lockers and a rooftop terrace, according to New York YIMBY.

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Opera comes to Ditmas Park

Opera singers from Opera on Tap made an appearance at the Albermarle Mall in Ditmas Park on Sunday. There were six singers and a pianist. Opera on Tap was born in 2006 in Freddy’s Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn. According to its website, its mission is “to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive.”

Compiled by Raanan Geberer. 

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