Good Morning, Brooklyn: Tuesday, June 7, 2022

June 7, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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SENTENCING IN GANG/FIREARM CASE: United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen, in federal court in Brooklyn, has sentenced, “Mac Baller Brims Bloods” street gang member Danari Aiken to 11 years’ imprisonment for two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Aiken, who is allegedly also associated with the “From Nothing” street gang based in the Lincoln Towers development in East New York, pleaded guilty to both counts last December.

In the Brooklyn incident, that took place in November, 2020, Aiken led NYPD officers on a high-speed chase in Brooklyn when they attempted to stop the vehicle he was driving for disobeying a traffic device. After smashing into a garbage truck and nearly striking several pedestrians, Aiken was apprehended when his path was blocked by a parked fire truck.

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MAIN ENTRANCE OF PIER 1 TO BE RECONSTRUCTED: Brooklyn Community Board 2’s Parks & Recreation Committee, at its next virtual meeting on Monday, June 13, will hear updates from the Brooklyn Borough office of the NYC Parks Dept. regarding Capital Projects within this Community District, including a presentation that leadership from Brooklyn Bridge Park will give on the reconstruction of the main entrance at Pier 1 located at the intersection of Old Fulton and Furman Streets. The project includes construction of a grand gathering space with much needed park restrooms and a new concession.

The gathering space is conceived as an urban bosque (a small, wooded area) with moveable tables and chairs and views out to the Brooklyn Bridge, New York skyline and Harbor. The project will improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation and will create a designated area for vehicular park drop-off.

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NEW LIBRARY SET TO OPEN TOMORROW: The official opening and ribbon-cutting for the new Brooklyn Heights Library takes place tomorrow morning, June 8. The new library building, at 26,600 feet, features a double-height main hall, dedicated teen space, children’s wing, sunlit reading areas and much more.

This redevelopment project also created 114 units of affordable housing and raised revenue for nine additional library reconstruction projects around the borough.

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GRAND STREET BRIDGE DESIGN OPTIONS: The NYC DOT Bridges Division will host a virtual meeting with Community Board 1’s Transportation Committee tomorrow, June 8, that will focus specifically on bridge types for the Grand Street Bridge. It is believed that knowing and understanding the menu of appropriate movable bridges will be essential to meaningful input from the participants during the formal environmental process.

NYC DOT will also provide an update on the schedule and next steps, though the bulk of the presentation will be about specific bridge type details.

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SUNSET PARK RECREATION CENTER’S RECONSTRUCTION: The reconstruction of the Sunset Park Recreation Center, and discussions about a future tour of Sunset Park will be covered in the next meeting of Community Board 7’s Parks Committee, held virtually on Tuesday, June 28, at 6 p.m.

This meeting can be viewed on the Brooklyn Community Board #7 YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2ROsJwJ

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DONORS NEEDED FOR BLOOD SUPPLY EMERGENCY: As the New York Blood Center has declared a blood shortage emergency, the Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) will be hosting a blood drive on Thursday, June 16, at 121 DeKalb Avenue, in the cafeteria. Appointments are preferred, (https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/294266) but walk-ins are welcome, space permitting. Donors should remember to eat and drink before donating, and bring their donor ID card or an ID with your name and photo.

Hospitals (like TBHC!) and patients rely upon a steady flow of volunteer donors to receive life-saving blood donations, but the recent spike in COVID cases and spring break travel have caused uncertainty. Donor participation has reached record lows at blood drives and donor centers.

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TRAVELING PUPPY TREATED AND WILL BE RELEASED: A Brooklyn puppy who recently made headlines after escaping from a Red Hook yard and gallivanting through New York and across state lines into Jersey City is scheduled to be released from Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group (VERG) Brooklyn at 2 p.m. this Wednesday, June 8, after recovering from injuries sustained during his journey. The eight-month-old German Shepherd-Akita mix managed to break out of his fenced-in yard in Red Hook on Apr. 29. Bailey was spotted swimming in the East River before being herded back to shore by a good Samaritan. Later, tips began pouring in that Bailey had been spotted near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel entrance.

Those interested in adopting or fostering Bailey, or would like to donate to help fund the cost for his medical treatment and care at VERG, can find more information by contacting Zucker at [email protected] or 520.200.7437.

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IPS NEWS: NUMBER OF JUDGES INCREASES: The New York State Assembly has passed legislation to increase the number of Supreme Court judges and Family Court judges (A.10505, Lavine), reports the Kings County Democratic County Committee, from announcement that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie made last week. This legislation would increase the number of New York State Supreme Court justices statewide, and would also increase the number of family court judges in New York City, Saratoga County and Nassau County.

The positions will be filled in the November 8, 2022 election and for a term to begin on January 1, 2023.

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BISHOP BRENNAN ORDAINS THREE PRIESTS TO DIOCESE: The Most Reverend Robert Brennan, presiding over his first ordination since becoming Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, ordained three men as priests at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, in Prospect Heights, on Saturday, June 4. The three new priests are: Andrew Tsui (age 41) becomes the first American-born Chinese priest to serve this diocese; Alexander Olszewski (51), born in Thailand to parents from Brooklyn, and whose father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Thailand during the Vietnam War, is a former banker. He aims to rekindle a passion for the faith among people, and has been assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in the Flatlands.

The third new priest, Father Vincent Vu (39), has a younger brother, Anh Vu, who will also be ordained a priest next week in the Diocese of Bridgeport by Bishop Frank Caggiano, himself a former auxiliary in the Diocese of Brooklyn.