Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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PET STORE ACCUSED OF DECEPTIVE PUPPY SALES: Brooklynites who adopted a puppy from a Long Island pet store named Shake A Paw are advised to get in touch with the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the pet store, which serves the tri-state area from its locations in Hicksville and Lynbrook, after an investigation found the company selling numerous sick or injured puppies to unaware consumers. The investigation found that Shake A Paw falsely advertised sick pets as healthy, fabricated health certificates, failed to disclose the animals’ legitimate medical conditions, misrepresented puppies’ breeds, and refused to reimburse consumers for veterinarian bills when they lodged complaints with Shake A Paw.

The attorney general also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against Shake A Paw in an effort to protect the puppies in danger at the two Long Island locations, as well as to freeze funds that are in bank accounts managed by Shake A Paw for restitution.

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NEW WORKS AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM: The Brooklyn Museum announces nearly five hundred new acquisitions that span from the sixth century to today’s art. The additions, which include Korean objects, Italian Renaissance portraiture, and contemporary works, collectively illustrate the Museum’s evolving approach to collecting that aims to critically interpret the art historical canon and facilitate meaningful conversations among people of different perspectives.

The artworks, which were acquired between December 2020 and October 2021, expand the Museum’s holdings of some of today’s most influential artists. Welcoming to the collection, for the first time, are works by Laura Aguilar, Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.), Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Jeffrey Gibson, Sky Hopinka, Susan Janow, Paul Ramírez Jonas, Jerome Lagarrigue, Rick Lowe, Thaddeus Mosley, and Christopher Myers.

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BAM LOOKS AHEAD TO JANUARY: The Brooklyn Academy of Music is set to host the 36th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 17, the observed holiday. Critically acclaimed author and cultural historian, Dr. Imani Perry will deliver the keynote address at this Brooklyn tradition, which has become the largest such gathering in New York City. Although free, the 10:30 a.m. program requires an advance RSVP via at BAM.org, and admission starting at 8 a.m. is on first-come, first-served basis.

The annual tribute will also include a recorded performance of King, a powerful solo piece by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Kyle Marshall to the oratory of Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”

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JOBS FAIR WITH PARKS DEPT.: Brooklynites are invited to ParksJobFairBK to learn about the various job opportunities available at the NYC Parks Department, as well as other city agencies, including FDNY, the MTA, Prospect Park Picnic House, 95 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, N.Y. The Job Fair will be at several sites between Tuesday, Jan, 11 – Saturday, Jan, 22, as follows: at the Prospect Park Picnic House on Jan, 11 from 2-6 p.m.; and at Bushwick Inlet Park, 86 Kent Avenue, on Tuesday, Jan. 18 and Saturday, Jan. 22, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. both those days.

This event is free and open to the public. Attendees must provide proof of vaccination and masks are required. Visit bit.ly/ParksJobFairBK or scan the QR code below to register for the event.

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L TRAIN SUSPENSION: The MTA and Community Board 1 want to inform Brooklyn commuters that L train service is suspended during three weekends early in 2022, for long-awaited ADA project work at the Grand Street and Lorimer Street L stations in Brooklyn, and other station work in Manhattan. There will be no L train service between Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn to 8th Avenue, Manhattan, during the weekends of Jan, 14-17, Feb. 25-28, and April 29-May 2, 2022, from 11:30 p.m. Friday until 5:00 a.m. Monday.

A fare-free shuttle bus will be in operation from the Lorimer Street L station to the Marcy Avenue J M station, stopping at the Bedford Avenue L station. L trains will operate normally in Brooklyn from Myrtle Avenue to Rockaway Parkway in both directions.

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IPS NEWS: JOB OFFERS MUST INCLUDE SALARY RANGE: The City Council overwhelmingly passed legislation today which requires that advertisements for private or public sector jobs, promotions or transfer opportunities in New York City include a minimum and maximum salary. Employers who do not post a salary range will be engaging in an “unlawful discriminatory practice.” Intro 1208, the bill that Councilmember Helen Rosenthal of Manhattan sponsors, applies to public and private sector employers with four or more employees for at least 12 months. “Employees” include independent contractors and family members working for the establishment.

However, Intro 1208 does not apply to advertisements for temporary employment at “temp” firms, as defined in the legislation.

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IPS NEWS: NYPD RESPONSE TO CERTAIN EMERGENCIES: All NYPD officers must now receive comprehensive, victim-centered, trauma-informed training for questioning survivors when responding to incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, after City Council overwhelmingly passed legislation that mandates such training. Councilmember Helen Rosenthal’s bill, Intro 2439, requires that a robust training program be provided to new recruits at the Police Academy, and be a part of biennial training for all officers who interact with the public.

This lack of specialized training and inability to fully communicate with survivors proved especially problematic in the first year of the pandemic. Domestic violence survivors, for example, were far more likely to be locked down at home with their abuser. If not handled properly, visits from NYPD officers could serve to discourage survivors from seeking assistance, or cause other issues.

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IPS NEWS: BLOCK GUN LOBBY FROM CONTROLLING STATE LAW. New York Attorney General Letitia James is fighting a lawsuit reportedly filed today by gun manufacturers and sellers who challenge a New York law that gives the state the ability to hold gun manufacturers and sellers responsible for gun violence. Accusing the gun lobby of trying to control the country and defy common-sense policies, Attorney General James said, “We will aggressively defend this law and won’t back down against their continued attempts to endanger New Yorkers.”

This past July, New York state passed a new law that restores the ability of the state and localities to bring civil liability actions against firearm manufacturers and sellers for their own bad conduct. This law combats that federal overreach and provides New York with the ability to protect its own citizens.

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IPS NEWS: Gov. Kathy Hochul is awarding $40 million to 128 nonprofit organizations and local governments to provide services to residents of supportive housing developments in communities across New York State. The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the New York State Supportive Housing Program will provide 136 permanent supportive housing developments, as well as 141 sites overseen by the New York City Department of Homeless Services with operating funding used to deliver the assistance their residents need to break cycles of homelessness.

The supportive services funded through the program are designed to help individuals and families to remain in stable housing so they can avoid housing insecurity or placement in emergency shelters. These services include case management; benefits and health care advocacy; counseling and crisis intervention; employment or vocational assistance; educational assistance; parenting skills development; and life skills training, among others.

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IPS NEWS: WORST LANDLORDS OF 2021: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today released the annual Worst Landlord Watchlist, which spotlights the most egregiously negligent landlords in the city as determined by their number of average open violations across watchlist buildings. Most of Brooklyn’s neglected properties were in the central part of the borough. The five worst are: David Schorr, (#1) with an average of 1,442 HPD open violations, including in zip codes 11216, 11225. Nathaniel Montgomery (#3) with an average of 1,192 HPD open violations, including in zip codes 11216 and 11207. There are also other landlords’ properties in Greenpoint (11222) all the way to Bath Beach and Gravesend. View the full Worst Landlord Watchlist, and check to see if your address is owned by a 2021 worst landlord, by visiting LandlordWatchlist.com.

The public advocate highlighted the city’s past failures to hold bad landlords accountable under Mayor de Blasio – and history as the worst landlord itself through NYCHA – and called on the incoming Mayor and City Council to prioritize landlord accountability as they prepare to take office next month.

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IPS NEWS: New York will receive $2,223,753,281 in new federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to create good-paying jobs for New Yorkers, and improve roads and bridges across the state, Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) announced on Thursday. This is the first round of funding under the five years of federal investment in New York highways authorized by this new law.

The historic and bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, secured new federal funding for highway and bridge repair for communities across the nation. Meanwhile, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave New York a C- grade on its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card, finding many deficiencies that require immediate attention, reporting that 7,292 miles of road and 1,702 bridges are in need of repair.

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IPS NEWS: Two Kings County (Brooklyn) families are winners in the Governor’s fourth-round of New York’s “Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate” vaccine incentive program. London M., and Kairi R. (the governor did not release surnames to protect the children’s privacy) won a full scholarship to any SUNY or CUNY college of university.

Parents and guardians of children ages 5 through 11 who receive their first vaccine dose by December 19th can enter the “Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate” incentive program for a chance to win a full scholarship to any two- or four-year SUNY or CUNY college or university for their child. The scholarship includes tuition, room, and board. Entry portal: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Vaccinate-Educate-Graduate-Vaccine-Incentive

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FESTIVAL OF CAROLS: Grace Church Brooklyn Heights will continue its longtime Festival of Lessons and Carols this Sunday, December 19, at 5 p.m. This worship service will include seasonal music with the Parish Choir and soloists, Scripture readings, and traditional carols with the congregation.

Two days later, Grace Church will resume its Advent Organ Recital, with Grace Church organist Paul Richard Olson and flautist Heidi Engstrom. That recital runs from 12:30 to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, December 21.