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Good Morning, Brooklyn: Thursday, May 19, 2022

May 19, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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RALLY TO NATIONAL GRID: STOP OPPOSING CLIMATE PROGRESS: National Grid’s New York headquarters is the gathering point today, as climate and consumer advocates, tired of what they call National Grid’s climate misinformation campaign, will join forces for a rally and press conference. The group, expected to include local and state elected officials, NYC community members representing the health and clean energy sectors, including Assemblymember Emily Gallagher (D-50^th District) and residents concerned about their health and future, will call on National Grid to stop opposing progress on climate action, to stop blocking the passage of building decarbonization legislation, and to halt opposition of the Climate Action Council’s Draft Scoping Plan.

Three key pieces of legislation are being considered by the State Legislature this year to address greenhouse gasses, pollution, and costs of burning fossil fuels in buildings.

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ARMY BASE STREET NAMING MEMORIALIZES BROOLKYN SOLDIER: Fort Hamilton’s main street will be re-memorialized and renamed after Brooklyn native, Vietnam War veteran, and Medal of Honor recipient 1st Lt. John E. Warren Jr. who, on January 14, 1969, gave the ultimate sacrifice while using his body to shield his fellow soldiers from a thrown enemy grenade. The Medal of Honor, which is the nation’s highest award for valor, was presented to Lt. Warren posthumously for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty.

During Friday’s ceremony with the community of the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton, Lt. Warren’s sister, the only surviving immediate family member, will be a guest speaker. See full story by Ted General on www.brooklyneagle.com

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Petty Officer 2nd Class Bruce Ung-Sansaricq
Photo credit: Chief Communications Specialist Jeffery Tilghman Williams

BROOKLYN SOLDIER IS PART OF TOPGUN PROGRAM: A Brooklyn native and 2014 graduate of Fort Hamilton High School is serving with Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center supporting TOPGUN aviators at the Navy’s premier tactical air warfare training center. Petty Officer 2nd Class Bruce Ung-Sansaricq, who serves as an aviation electrician’s mate aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada, credits his upbringing here, saying, “My hometown taught me how to adapt and how to think quickly on my feet. There is also a lot of diversity in Brooklyn. The Navy alone is so diverse, and you have to accept everyone for who they are.”

Since its establishment in 1952, TOPGUN continues to train the finest naval aviators and has inspired one blockbuster movie released in May 1986, with a sequel planned for release this month.

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SOCIAL MEDIA INVESTIGATION ON BUFFALO MASS SHOOTER: New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office is launching investigations into social media companies in connection with the terror attack in Buffalo that claimed 10 lives and wounded three individuals. The investigations will examine the social media companies and other online resources that the shooter used to discuss and amplify his intentions and acts to carry out this attack, and will focus specifically, on platforms that may have been used to stream, promote, or plan the event, including but not limited to Twitch (owned by Amazon), 4chan, 8chan, and Discord.

The Office of the Attorney General received a referral from Governor Hochul to conduct this investigation pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 63(8), which permits the attorney general to investigate matters concerning public peace, public safety, and public justice and to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of documents.

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Leymah Roberta Gbowee
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn College

NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATE IS COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER: Marking its first return to an in-person Commencement Ceremony in two years, Brooklyn College will celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2022 on May 31, at Barclays Center. During the 9 a.m. ceremony, 3,195 baccalaureate and 966 master’s degrees will be conferred, and 96 students will receive advanced certificates, with the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and human rights leader, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, as keynote speaker and honorary degree recipient.

The valedictorian is summa cum laude graduate Carina D’Urso, who will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies.

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NAVY YARD SPRING MARKET SHOWCASES SUSTAINABILITY: The Brooklyn Navy Yard will hold its first annual Spring Market this weekend, with an emphasis on sustainability and showcasing a wide variety of offerings from 45 different unique vendors and makers. The free-admission market, held on Saturday-Sunday, May 21-22, from noon to 5 p.m. on the ground floor of Building 77 at 141 Flushing Avenue (at Vanderbilt Avenue), will also offer interactive workshops demonstrating ways in which design can help address issues of sustainability.

The market focuses on a Sustainable Thinking program with three main areas; Renewable Energy, Repair Bar, and Waste Reduction.

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BAY RIDGE GREENMARKET OPENS SEASON: GrowNYC will host a ribbon-cutting with Councilmember Justin Brannan at 10 a.m. this Saturday, May 21, to celebrate the season opening of the Bay Ridge Greenmarket. The longstanding open air market, in the Walgreen’s parking lot at 3rd Ave. and 95th St., carries a wide selection of locally-grown produce, fresh eggs, meats, dairy, and baked goods.

The market will be open on Saturdays through November 19, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with composting from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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PILOT SCHOOL IN ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAM WITH DC COMICS: St. Peter’s Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst was selected as one of the pilot schools for an anti-bullying program contest in partnership with DC Comics. Titled “Project Bullies,” the program was a hit at St. Peter’s Academy, where the students were asked to create a comic strip with a storyline based on cyberbullying.

The students also got a presentation about cryptocurrency, NFT’s, and blockchain.

Students at St. Peter’s Academy participate in a “Bit Bullies” cartoon drawing program.
Photo credit: St. Peter’s Academy/via DeSales Media

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FLYING CLASSROOM VISITS SUNSET PARK SCHOOL: Captain Irving Barrington, the first African American, and previously the youngest, to fly solo around the world, today visits Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in Sunset Park for a special assembly, a meet-and-greet and book signing. His visit comes as part of a series of talks, starting yesterday at Cathedral Prep, Catholic school students, about the “Flying Classroom”, a K-8 STEM+ digital curriculum that challenges students to design innovative solutions to the problems he investigates.

Captain Irving’s journey in 2007 traveled 30,000 miles, over 97 days, in a single-engine plane known as “Inspiration.”

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IPS NEWS — REP. CLARKE: NEW MAPS FRACTURE HISTORIC VOTING DITRICTS: U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-9^th District/Flatbush and Central Brooklyn) expressed concern that the preliminary draft New York congressional map that was released on Monday violates free and fair election rules, laws, and statutes. “…The newly proposed map disregards that objective entirely. Article III, section 5 of the constitution of the State of New York clearly states that ‘districts shall not be drawn to have the purpose of, nor shall they result in, the denial or abridgement of racial or language minority voting rights’ and that ‘maintenance of cores of existing districts […] including communities of interest’ must be considered,” said Clarke, referring to the Tilden Public Housing Development in Brownsville, which she said has been fractured into two districts.

Pointing out the historic nature of Central Brooklyn Congressional Districts of Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Clinton Hill, and the lawsuit to protect the voting rights of minority communities, Clarke added, “The cracking of this district is a regressive action that dismisses precedent for this community. This proposal harkens back to an era in our nation where laws were designed to limit minority representation in our democracy.”