Good Morning, Brooklyn: Monday, January 10, 2022

January 10, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BACKHOE OPERATOR INDICTED FOR RECKLESS MANSLAUGHTER: The operator of a backhoe and his jobsite foreman have been indicted for reckless manslaughter and related charges in connection with the death of a 61-year-old Brooklyn woman, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez reports. The loader, which allegedly recklessly reversed from the sidewalk, struck the woman as she crossed a street. The site, where utility work was being performed, had none of the required safety precautions: barricades, cones, flag persons or spotters, the investigation found.

Surveillance video shows the backhoe driving onto and off the sidewalk for about 20 minutes, narrowly missing several pedestrians and at least one vehicle, before hitting Estelle Davis, a home health aide.

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COVID-19 TESTING SITE ADDED IN BROOKLYN: COVID-19 testing will be available at four new MTA subway station stops beginning next week, including one in Brooklyn. Starting Wednesday, January 12, testing will be available at the Coney Island/Stillwell Station (D/F/N/Q lines) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Walk-in PCR testing is currently offered at seven stations, including the Broadway Junction (Brooklyn) Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OPEN THROUGH SNOWSTORM: Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, assures families here that the parochial schools and academies “did not skip a beat because of today’s snow,” and held classes without interruption, thanks to “our dedicated faculty and administrators who are capable of an immediate switch to remote learning utilizing the technology we have in place and the robust online learning platforms.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens, has over 20,000 students enrolled in 70 Catholic schools and academies.

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CITYPARKS GRANT FUNDING: Have a creative idea for your local park? The ideal project could win community groups funding through CityParks Foundation’s Capacity Fund Grant, in partnership with TD Bank. Small grants of up to $3,000 are awarded to community groups dedicated to local parks, gardens, and green spaces, particularly for projects that build community groups’ capacity through outreach, membership, and programming.

Info session webinars are being offered on the application process. Link for more information and registration: https://cityparksfoundationgrants.secure-platform.com/a/organizations/main/home). The grant application deadline is Monday, January 24, at noon.

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NEIGHBORHOOD SEEKS TO RECLAIM SAY ON ATLANTIC YARDS: Believing that the needs of the Atlantic Yards residents have been circumvented or even outreach dismissed, BrooklynSpeaks will hold a community discussion about the state of the Atlantic Yards project, what kind of future Brooklynites envision for the area, and effective ways to hold the State and the developers accountable. During the next four Wednesdays, the Crossroads series (https://brooklynspeaks.net/crossroads to register) will focus on the issues of Urban Design, Transportation and Streets, Housing and Accountability.

BrooklynSpeaks is an initiative of civic associations, community-based organizations, and advocacy groups, including active sponsors: Brooklyn Heights Association, the Boerum Hill Association, The Fifth Avenue Committee Park Slope Civic Council and The North Flatbush Business Improvement District, The North Prospect Heights Association, The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council.

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NO LOADING ZONES IN SW BROOKLYN: The New York City Department of Transportation will use signage to repurpose parking spaces on several blocks within Community Board 10 into loading zones that will be in effect Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. According to the Department of Transportation, the locations will provide dedicated curb space for short-term loading such as package deliveries by commercial vehicles, and taxi and car service pick up and drop off. The city says its NLZ program has proven to reduce the number of double parking during the daytime hours on residential blocks.

Residents within the district are invited to attend a virtual Community Board 10 Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting taking place tomorrow, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. via Zoom, and is viewable on CB10’s YouTube channel. DOT Representatives will be in attendance to present their Neighborhood Loading Zones Program and review a list of locations targeted for installation.

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IPS NEWS: COMPTROLLER LANDER SPEAKS ON WNYC: A survey released Friday by the Center for Urban Research at the City University’s Graduate Center found that New Yorkers ranked the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing at the top of their list of concerns as the new term begins. City Comptroller discussed the survey results Friday morning on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, pledging that the concerns and priorities that were articulated will inform his approach as he begins his tenure.

Conditions in public housing ranked lowest in a review of City services, while voting, using 9-1-1, public health services and CUNY ranked highest.

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IPS NEWS: FIREFIGHTERS ENDORSE GOV. HOCHUL FOR RE-ELECTION: A coalition of FDNY unions has endorsed Kathy Hochul in the first major uniformed services endorsement in race for governor. FDNY-Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro and FDNY-Fire Officers Association President Lt. Jim McCarthy announced that their organizations, representing a combined 28,000 active and retired FDNY Firefighters and Fire Officers, have endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for a full term, and will support her candidacy through both the Democratic Primary and the General Election.

The FDNY-Firefighters Association and FDNY-Fire Officers Associations are the first, major uniformed services unions to pledge their support to Gov. Hochul’s bid for a full term. She received another endorsement, from the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association.

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IPS NEWS: CONGRESSMEMBER’S STATEMENT ON AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOCUMENT: After the U.S. Department of Treasury announced the Final Rule for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the American Rescue Plan, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, stated, “Early reports show that State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds are being put to work for the American people through a broad array of community-based projects, including job training for young or unemployed workers, community-driven violence prevention initiatives, and rental assistance.”

States are making use of the broad flexibility of the funds by investing in food and housing insecurity, economic recovery grants, hazard pay for frontline workers, and broadband expansion to underserved communities.

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MAYOR TAPS BROOKLYN APPELLATE JUDGE FOR CITY LAW POST: Mayor Eric Adams has nominated Brooklyn Appellate Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix for NYC Corporation Counsel. Hinds-Radix, who has served on the Brooklyn-based Appellate Division, Second Department for nearly a decade, is a 1984 Howard University School of Law graduate. She began her legal career with District Council 37, New York City’s largest public-section union, and remained there until she was elected to the Civil Court bench in 2001. In 2004, voters propelled Hinds-Radix to the state Supreme Court. In 2012, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed her to the Brooklyn-based Second Department. (See story, page 1.)

The Corporation Counsel heads up the city’s Law Department, which is staffed with more than 1,000 attorneys who represent the city in a wide array of matters.