Good Morning, Brooklyn: Tuesday, November 23, 2021

November 23, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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FINANCING SECURED FOR NEW CLARKSON AVE. BUILDING: SCALE Lending, a leading lender in the New York Metropolitan market for construction financing, has completed a $68.5 million construction loan to finance the ground-up construction of 210 Clarkson Ave. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. The 165,000-gross-square-foot development will rise eight stories with 165 residential units and ground floor retail. This loan marks the latest closing for SCALE Lending, a Slate Property Group affiliate, with more than $1.25 billion lent over the last 18 months.

SCALE Lending is Slate’s lending affiliate that directly provides first- mortgage financing secured by commercial real estate assets with a focus on senior transitional loans secured by commercial mortgages in the New York Metropolitan area.

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ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PRIEST FOUND CREDIBLE: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn has removed a priest from active ministry after a claim of alleged sexual abuse involving him was found to be credible. The independent Diocesan Review Board investigated a claim of sexual abuse of a minor dating back to the 1970s, against 86-year-old Peter Mahoney, from information received into Diocese of Brooklyn’s Reporting Line on Oct. 2, 2020, and on that date was forwarded to law enforcement and was referred for investigation. The alleged abuse took place between 1975 and 1978 while Rev. Mahoney was serving at St. Martin of Tours in Brooklyn.

Though the Diocese’s actions are not to be interpreted as a judgement of guilt at this time, it recognizes that wrongdoing may have taken place. Removal from public ministry means Mahoney is prohibited from celebrating Mass publicly or exercising any public ministry, residing in an ecclesiastical residence, and his name will also be added to the List of Credibly Accused Priests on the Diocese of Brooklyn website.

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REPORT: DIGITAL GAMES INDUSTRY BOOSTED NYC ECONOMY; The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment announced the results of the 2021 NYC Digital Games Industry Economic Impact Study, which gives specifics on the sector’s significance and contribution to New York City’s economy. Major findings of the report conclude that in 2020 the industry supported 7,600 jobs, $762 million in wages, and $2 billion in economic output. The number of jobs in the industry has tripled since 2008 with industry professionals earning an average of $106,000 in annual wages, 14% higher than the citywide average annual wage of $93,000.

The “Made in NY” logo has now been extended to digital games, and a “Made in NY” Marketing Program for Digital Games will launch in 2022.

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DOCUMENTARY FEATURES WORK OF BAY RIDGE PASTOR: A new documentary series launching in December will feature Rev. Khader El-Yateem, an Arab American Lutheran pastor in Bay Ridge who ran for City Council. Ahmed Mansour’s Brooklyn Inshallah heads to WORLD Channel’s documentary series America ReFramed series on Tuesday, Dec.14 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central / 9 p.m. Pacific.

The film also begins streaming for free on worldchannel.org, www.amdoc.org and on the PBS app, will chronicle Pastor El-Yateem’s work to unite the community and to overcome voter hesitancy, voter misinformation, prejudice and other challenges.

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BROOKLYN PROJECTS IN PILOT CLIMATE PREP PROGRAM: A new pilot program that will help ensure new city infrastructure and public facilities are prepared for the worsening impacts of climate change, from coastal storm surge, chronic high-tide flooding and extreme heat. Under this program, 23 city capital agencies will begin designing and constructing dozens of new projects using the NYC Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines, which were developed by the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency (MOCR) using cutting-edge science and research.

Among the Brooklyn projects are an overhaul of the Canarsie Library branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, Kingsborough Community College Hot Water Heat Piping Distribution, Brooklyn Army Terminal Elevators, Sunset Park Sub-District School Construction in Brooklyn, Brownsville Community Center, Gowanus Green, and an unspecified renovated affordable housing project.

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SENTENCING FOR THREAT AGAINST CONGRESS: United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen in Brooklyn Federal Court on Monday sentenced Brendan Hunt to 19 months’ imprisonment for threatening to assault and murder members of the United States Congress to impede, interfere with and intimidate those members. Hunt, the son of a retired Queens judge, posted a video about killing senators to BitChute, an Internet-based video sharing site, two days after the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, and Hunt made dangerous additional threats, exhorting his viewers to violence.

Hunt was convicted of the assault and threat of murder charge after a jury trial in April 2021, which was the first trial to address the consequences of the Capitol insurrection.

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ALUMNUS ESTABLISHES FUND TO HELP FELLOW VETERANS: Marshall Kaplan, Brooklyn College Class of 1949 and World War II veteran, has donated $500,000 to support fellow veterans and Brooklyn College students. The Marshall Kaplan Veteran Scholars Fund has been established at Brooklyn College to provide emergency student support, academic enrichment, internships and career development and connections to professional opportunities for the student veteran population.

Drafted into the Army during World War II after he entered Brooklyn College, the political science major was assigned to the transportation corps. Upon his return, Kaplan was graduated from Brooklyn College in 1949