Good Morning, Brooklyn: Monday, August 22, 2022

August 22, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NEW BILLS WOULD HOLD WEAPONS INDUSTRY ACCOUNTABLE: Two new bills that Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-12/northern Brooklyn) introduced on Friday are aimed at holding the firearm industry accountable for selling weapons of war to civilians and ensure that the industry takes responsibility for preventing the use of their products in crimes. The Firearm Industry Fairness Act would impose a 20 percent tax on the total revenue of manufacturers who choose to produce the assault weapons and high-capacity magazines like those used by the mass shooters in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Highland Park. The second bill, Firearm Industry Crime and Trafficking Accountability Act, would require that every firearm manufacturer create a monitoring system to track crimes committed with guns they have sold, and mandate that those manufacturers cease distributing weapons to a retailer when they have reason to believe that the guns sold by that retailer are being trafficked or used for criminal purposes.

Funds from the tax on weapons manufacturers would be used to prevent gun violence and support the victims.

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CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS TRAINING: New York State Citizen Preparedness Corps initiative will resume offering its training courses later this month ahead of National Preparedness Month in September, Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced. During each course, New Yorkers are taught an all-hazards approach to preparedness, teaching skills to be utilized in any life-threatening situation, and information on developing family emergency plans, the importance of stocking up on emergency supplies, instructions on registering for NY-Alert, the free statewide emergency alert system.

Established in 2014, the Citizen Preparedness Corps has provided nearly 350,000 New Yorkers with the training and resources necessary to prepare for, respond to, and recover from any type of disaster. Trainings paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARINGS ON CONGESTION PRICING: Public hearings on the federal, state and city’s congestion pricing assessment will take place starting next Thursday. The document, from the Federal Highway Administration, the NY State and NYC Transportation Departments and the MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, find that tolling would accomplish the goals of reducing traffic congestion in the Manhattan Central Business District (CBD) and raising revenue for transit investment. The project partners are accepting comments online, by email to [email protected] by phone to 646-252-7440, and in-person at a series of six public hearings, on August 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, 2022 (details via https://new.mta.info/project/CBDTP; join link: https://mta.zoom.us/j/82606738045)

Elected officials, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) are fighting congestion pricing on the grounds that their constituents are already struggling financially and should not be double-tolled for having to commute across bridges.

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MORE MOSQUITO SPRAYING IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEK: The NYC Health Department will conduct adulticide treatments in Brooklyn and Staten Island next week to reduce mosquito activity and the risk of West Nile virus. Trucks will spray pesticides in sections of Brooklyn beginning on Tuesday, August 23, between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning, with the rain date being Wednesday, August 24.

The Health Department will use very low concentrations of Anvil® 10+10, Duet® or MERUS® 3.

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LORIMER ST. CLOSED THROUGH 9/17 FOR SUBWAY UPGRADES: More traffic headaches are in store for commuters in Williamsburg, as Lorimer Street between Metropolitan Avenue and Conselyea Street will also be closed around-the-clock through September 17 to facilitate MTA station upgrade operation.

Work is being done on the Metropolitan Ave./Lorimer St. station to make it ADA-accessible. The station, which opened in July 1948, serves the IND L trains and the BMT G trains.

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QUESTIONS SOCIAL MEDIA OVER ONLINE THREATS AGAINST FBI: Social media companies’ handling of increasing online threats against law enforcement is under investigation from Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s office. Maloney, who serves Brooklyn’s current 12th district in northern Brooklyn and is chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, has sent letters to social media companies Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Truth Social, Rumble, Gettr, Telegram, and Gab, requesting information on how these companies are responding to a spike in online threats against law enforcement officers since the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a court-authorized search at former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Club last week.

Earlier this month, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Joint Intelligence Bulletin warning about a sharp rise in threats against federal law enforcement. The President of the FBI Agents Association warned that the threats against FBI agents are “real” and “imminent.”

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RIBBON-CUTTING FOR LaGUARDIA PLAYGROUND: The ribbon has been cut on a $6.74 million renovation of La Guardia Playground in South Williamsburg. The first phase of the project, which was funded through NYC Parks’ Community Parks Initiative, involved reconstructing the southern parcel of the park, including refurbished basketball and handball courts; an adult fitness area; a new seating area with tables and chairs; and a rain garden to aid in sustainable stormwater management. The second phase addressed the northern parcel of the park, adding new play equipment for kids aged 2-5 and 5-12; a tot-sized seating area; and brand-new water play features.

La Guardia Playground was originally built in 1937 in conjunction with work on the Williamsburg Bridge. The playground was further developed in the 1940s and ‘50s to accommodate the elevated approach to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that bisects La Guardia Playground.

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BATTLE OF BROOKLYN OBSERVANCE AT HISTORIC GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY: The Battle of Brooklyn returns to the Green-Wood Cemetery next Sunday, August 24 for the 246^th anniversary of this pivotal phase of the Revolutionary War, which took place on land that is now part of Green-Wood. This family-friendly afternoon of living history, storytelling, and hands-on activities will pay tribute to the first battle of the American Revolution following the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Battle of Brooklyn commemoration is presented in partnership with the New-York Historical Society and the Wyckoff House Museum.