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Good Morning, Brooklyn: Monday, August 1, 2022

August 1, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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DISASTER EMERGENCY ON MONKEYPOX: Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared state disaster emergency in response to ongoing monkeypox outbreak, a measure that allows New York to respond more swiftly to outbreak and provides additional vaccination resources. The executive order specifically extends the pool of eligible individuals who can administer monkeypox vaccines, including EMS personnel, pharmacists and midwives; allows physicians and certified nurse practitioners to issue non-patient specific standing orders for vaccines; and requires providers to send vaccine data to the New York State Department of Health.

Governor Hochul and the Department of Health are continuing their ongoing coordination with White House, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR) to ensure that New York continues to receive its fair share of vaccine supplies as soon they are available, especially for those New Yorkers in communities with high transmission rates.

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NEW APP AIMS TO CONSERVE WATER DURING RAINSTORMS: A new app is available for a free, voluntary program that gives clock-driven New Yorkers safer times to shower or run washing machines during periods of heavy rain, according to an announcement from Community Board 2. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection has introduced the “WAIT…app,” available via wait.nyc, as a way to protect the state’s waterways from sewer overflows during heavy rainstorms.

According to the NYC DEP, one person WAITing to do laundry keeps as much as 25 gallons of water out of the sewer; waiting to shower can save as much as 17 gallons, and even to brush one’s teeth or shave, saves as much as two gallons. Most weather experts also caution against running water during thunderstorms, as electricity from lightning can travel through plumbing.

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BARREL GIVEAWAY TO RECYCLE RAINWATER: Homeowners can also put the aforementioned rainwater to good use, thanks to a free Rain Barrel Giveaway that City Councilmember Ari Kagan (D-47^th District) is sponsoring on Sunday, Aug. 14. Residents of Community Board 13 (Coney Island, Gravesend) can pick up free rain that day, at Our Lady of Grace Church, 431 Avenue W in Gravesend; starting at 10 a.m., while supplies last. Identification and proof of address are necessary to obtain a barrel.

The NYC Rain Barrel program has been in place since 2011 as a conservation measure. Rain barrels connect directly to a property’s gutter or downspout to capture and store the rainwater that falls on rooftops. The stored rainwater can then be used for outdoor chores, like gardening or washing the car.

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TANDON RESEARCHER CREATES GUN USE DATA MODELS: Newly published research from NYU Tandon School of Engineering Institute Professor and data scientist Maurizio Porfiri, institute professor at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, could prove instrumental in drafting sensible gun legislation. Fr. Porfiri and his team, co-authors Roni Barak Ventura, a post-doctoral researcher at Porfiri’s Dynamical Systems Lab, and Manuel Ruiz Marin of the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain, did a study “A spatiotemporal model of firearm ownership in the United States,” published in the Cell Press journal Patterns, which details the process of calibrating their results with yearly survey data, and determined that the two proxies can be simultaneously considered to draw precise information regarding firearm ownership.

Porfiri, the recipient of one of the first, newly-authorized NSF federal grants for $2 million to study the “firearm ecosystem” in the U.S., has devoted recent years to exploring gun acquisition trends and their relationship to several factors, including media coverage. This could lead to the creation of a comprehensive national firearm ownership registry needed to move forward on gun violence prevention laws.

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CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY TEAMS WITH ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITY IN CAREER ADVANCEMENT: Niagara University, a Roman Catholic school and the Institute for Career Advancement signed an agreement to create opportunities for members of the Ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn to complete master’s degrees in early childhood special education and applied behavior analysis online through NU’s College of Education. For the past year, about 200 ICA students have been studying in the College of Education’s online program, with other programs planned for this fall in professional accountancy, and one in digital forensics is anticipated for 2023.

Yechiel Binet, founder and executive director, also presented Niagara University president, Father James Maher, with an Outstanding Partnership Award for his “revolutionary vision and commitment to excellence in opening new vistas for quality education” in their community.

Yechiel Binet, founder and executive director of the Institute for Career Advancement, and the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president, sign an agreement to create educational opportunities for members of the Ultra-Orthodox community here in Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy of Niagara University

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BREAKING: HOUSE PASSES ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN IN RESPONSE TO HEARING WITH GUN MANUFACTURERS: The House of Representatives late on Friday passed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021, following a hearing last week with the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-12/northern Brooklyn) chairs. At that hearing, the CEOs of Sturm, Ruger & Company and Daniel Defense refused to take responsibility for the use of their products in mass shootings, establish any changes to make their products safer, or commit to start tracking the injuries and deaths caused by their products.

Rep. Maloney said after Friday’s vote, “By passing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2021, House Democrats are saving lives and holding the manufacturers fueling this public health crisis accountable. My committee’s investigation revealed that AR-15 manufacturers have collected more than $1 billion from these deadly products as our communities suffer unimaginable tragedies. It is long past time for reform.”

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NYPD seeks this man in connection with last Wednesday’s stabbing of a store employee in Fort Greene.
Photo credit: NYPD

NYPD SEEKING MAN IN FORT GREENE DAYTIME STABBING: The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the individual depicted in the attached media in connection to an assault within the confines of the 88th Precinct, which covers Fort Greene. According to a police report, on Wednesday afternoon, July 27, a man restocking fruit in front of a store at 59 Lafayette Ave. was attacked from behind, with the assailant stabbing the victim in the right shoulder with a screwdriver, causing a minor puncture wound, before fleeing toward Fort Greene Park.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)

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PROTECTING MEDICARE TRUST FUND FOR RENAL PATIENTS: U.S. Rep Yvette D. Clarke (D-9^th District/Flatbush/East Flatbush) joined with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ensure that individuals with end-stage renal (kidney) disease have access to meaningful private health care coverage options. She also pushes to protect the Medicare Trust Fund, as she said Congress intended when it amended the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA) in 1981.

The Supreme Court June decision that narrowly interpreted the language in the MSPA created a potential loophole for plans to circumvent the purpose and intent of the law. The Congressional coalition believes that, without legislation to close the loophole, plans could discriminate against patients with end-stage renal disease by targeting the services they need for life-sustaining dialysis care.

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REDUCING BACKLOG ON PAYING NON-PROFIT PROVIDERS: The Mayor’s Office announced that $4.2 billion in contractual dollars unlocked through the ‘Clear the Backlog’ initiative, a key recommendation of the Joint Task Force to Get Nonprofits Paid on Time. This 12-week initiative, launched in May, aims to clear the existing backlog has resulted in 2600 previously unregistered, retroactive contract actions being registered or submitted for registration, thus helping 451 providers.

Earlier this year, Mayor Adams and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released “A Better Contract for New York: A Joint Task Force to Get Nonprofits Paid on Time,” which identified concrete steps to reform and improve the city’s procurement process, particularly for human services providers.

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Surveillance video captured this man wanted for an attempted rape
Photo credit: NYPD

POLICE SEEKING MAN IN ATTEMPTED RAPE OVER WEEKEND: The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts and identity of the individual depicted in the attached image in connection to an attempted rape that occurred within the confines of the 83th Precinct. This past Saturday, July 30, at around 8:25 a.m., the 30-year-old female victim was walking her dog near Woodbine St. and Ridgewood Place when an unknown individual approached from behind, placed her in a chokehold, forced her to the ground, strangled her and sexually assaulted her over her clothing. The assailant is described as a male approximately 30-years-old, 5’8″ tall, with a dark complexion, medium build, black hair in dreads, with a mustache and chin hair, last seen wearing a black baseball hat with a rose design on the front, a black t-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers.

The victim sustained injuries to her neck and face and refused medical attention at the scene but was later treated at Interfaith Medical Center. The Brooklyn Special Victims Squad is investigating.

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NYPD SEEKS ASSAILANT IN THEFT OF MOTORCYCLE

Police are asking the public’s assistance to track down an assailant in connection with another crime within the 83^rd Precinct on July 21. The 41-year-old male victim, tracking his stolen motorcycle to 193 Knickerbocker Avenue confronted two individuals and retrieved his bike. A short time later the individuals returned and began to punch and kick the victim, fracturing his nose, before removing his motorcycle and fleeing.

Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

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Wanted for bank robbery in Brooklyn’s 90th Precinct
Photo credit: NYPD

INDIVIDUAL WANTED IN BANK ROBBERY: Not far away, near Havemeyer Street in the 90^th Precinct a bank robbery occurred for which the NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in tracking down the assailant. The incident took place last Thursday, July 28, around 4:40 p.m. when an unidentified individual entered an Investors Bank at 236 Broadway, approached a teller and passed a note demanding money. The teller complied and passed the individual cash from the drawer.

The individual, described as a male, dark complexion, approximately 50 years of age, 200 lbs., and 5’10”, fled on foot toward Havemeyer St. He was last seen wearing a gray button-down shirt, a black “Puma” hat and sunglasses. Anyone with knowledge of him may contact the aforementioned TIPS information.

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MORE MONKEYPOX VACCINE DOSES FOR NY: New York will receive more monkeypox vaccine doses, thanks to a successful push from Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-12^th District/northern Brooklyn) which led the Biden Administration to triple its vaccine allocation for New York City (NYC) with an initial additional allocation of 80,040 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine.  This brings the total number of JYNNEOS doses allocated to NYC to more than 124,000.

The 80,040 additional vaccines allocated to New York City are the first wave of doses that will be allocated to the city as part of the Biden Administration’s distribution of 786,000 JYNNEOS vaccine doses to states and jurisdictions across the United States.

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YOUTH CAMP DAY WITH NEW YORK LIBERTY BASKETBALL: Webull, the New York Liberty’s official online brokerage has given more than 2,500 tickets for youth to experience New York Liberty basketball games. The New York Liberty hosted its first-ever Camp Day last month at Barclays Center. The Liberty eclipsed their attendance record since moving to Brooklyn that afternoon, totaling nearly 10,000 fans.

The New York Liberty was founded on October 30, 1996, and is one of three original franchises remaining in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Liberty have made four WNBA Finals appearances in its 26-year history.

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CONGRESSIONAL PUSH FOR PLANT-BASED SCHOOL MEALS: Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-7/western Brooklyn) wants children to have more access to plant-based meals in their schools. On Friday, July 29, she led 21 of her Congressional colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, urging the incorporation of plant-based meals into school lunches, and to allocate $10 million from the new Healthy Food Incentive Fund to create a new plant-based school lunch grant and to use Rep. Velázquez’ bill as a guide for implementation.

Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $100 million to create a new Healthy Food Incentive Fund, to support the work of school food authorities to innovate and accelerate their efforts to improve nutritional quality of school meals to children.