Good Morning, Brooklyn: Friday, August 26, 2022

August 26, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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ADA UPGRADES TO BEGIN ON SUBWAY STATIONS IN SOUTHERN BROOKLYN: Work to install long-awaited elevators and other accessibility upgrades at the Sheepshead Bay B/Q and Kings Highway F stations is scheduled to begin in mid-2023, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-45) announced today, following years of appealing to the MTA to install elevators at these busy stations, and offering capital to make the upgrades possible. Plans will include elevators, tactile guideways for people with vision impairment, and other complementary design features to make the stations fully accessible.

These projects will be expedited using “design-build,” of which Assemblyman Cymbrowitz has long been an outspoken proponent. Design-build allows designers and contractors to work together from the beginning rather than going through the typical lengthy bidding process.

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PLEADS GUILTY TO PLOTTING TERROR ATTACK IN QUEENS: United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy on Friday received a guilty plea in Brooklyn federal court from Awais Chudhary, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to court filings, in August 2019, after watching violent terrorist propaganda videos, Chudhary pledged his allegiance to ISIS’s then-leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi and began planning for a knife or bomb attack as a lone wolf ISIS supporter.

Chudhary, who was arrested when attempting to retrieve the paraphernalia, from an online retailer’s locker in Queens, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

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GENDER-BASED PRICING IS ILLEGAL, STATE REMINDS CONSUMERS: Gender-based pricing of consumer services and products, also known as “pink tax,” is illegal in New York State, the NYS Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) reminds consumers, in a memo issued to honor Women’s Equality Day. Gender-based pricing, the practice of charging different prices for substantially similar goods or services marketed to women, has been a longstanding practice but was prohibited in New York starting in 2020.

When issues arise with New York State merchants charging different prices based on gender, consumers are encouraged to file a complaint with DCP and the State Attorney General’s Office, to seek return of the difference between the higher priced and lower priced gender marketed item or service paid to a New York State merchant, and including evidence of noncompliance, which may include pictures of the advertised items and prices, purchase receipts, and merchant’s location details.

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STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM EXPECTED TO BENEFIT ABOUT HALF OF LATINO BORROWERS: About half of all Latino student loan borrowers are expected to have their entire debt forgiven under the plan announced Wednesday by President Joe Biden, according to a report from NBC News. Among Latino undergraduate students who began their postsecondary education in 2012, 51 percent borrowed funds to pay their undergraduate or graduate education, according to Excelencia in Education, one of the nation’s leading educational think tanks focused on Latino college completion.

The Biden administration is canceling up to $10,000 in federal loan debt and an additional $10,000 if the student was a Pell Grant recipient.

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AMICUS BRIEFS SAYS STATE LAW VIOLATED ON SCHOOL BUDGET PROCESS: The New York Civil Liberties Union submitted an amicus brief in support of parents and teachers who allege that the Department of Education (DOE) violated state law by denying them opportunity to provide critical public comments about how hundreds of millions of dollars in school budget cuts would impact them. The brief argues that the DOE’s failure to complete the full public comment period on its budget and hold the city’s school board (Panel for Educational Policy or PEP) vote prior to the City Council’s vote on the City’s overall budget led to a lack of community input and thwarted the New York State’s legislature’s intention to involve the public in decisions regarding education.

As a result, City Council members voted for the budget without fully understanding its impact, which will affect at least 77 percent of DOE schools and range from the elimination of teaching positions to cutting entire programs in some schools — including those for students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

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‘ITS HER SHOT’ THIS WEEKEND: DICK’S Sporting Goods and Nike are joining forces once again to host “It’s Her Shot” this weekend which will feature a surprise guest. The event debuted last year on the famed street courts of Venice and was also held in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis earlier this year. Girls ages 8 to 18 will be able to play, participating in open court sessions, pro-led clinics, giveaways and live DJ sets. Grant presentations will be made to Urban Dove Charter Schools and Grow Our Game.

The event is free to attend on a first-come, first-served basis, with sign-ups and info on start time are available online at itshershotevents.com

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LUXURY MONTAGUE LEASES NOW AVAILABLE: Leasing has begun at the new luxury residential rental and retail offering at 200 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, developers Aurora Capital and Midtown Equities announced on Friday, August 26. The international firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners designed the 20-story, 121-unit rental building, paying homage to the neighborhood’s historic architecture with its verticality, rhythmic dark facade, a polished black granite base, profiled piers, bronze-tone metal detailing, and charcoal-grey colored window frames.

Apartments range in size from one- to three-bedroom apartments, starting from $3,500 per month.

A sample apartment at 200 Montague Street
Photo credit: 200 Montague/Courtesy of MNS Real Estate

Rooftop terrace at the new 200 Montague residential rental building Photo credit: 200 Montague/Courtesy of MNS Real Estate

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ANNUAL BRIGHTON JUBILEE TAKES PLACE ON SUNDAY: Several street closings in Brooklyn are in effect this weekend for street festivals. The 45th Annual Brighton Jubilee takes place Sunday, Sunday, August 28 starting at 10 a.m.

Blocked from traffic will be Brighton Beach Avenue between Coney Island Avenue and Corbin Place; and Coney Island Avenue between Brighton Beach Avenue and Brightwater Court.

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DOMINICAN PARADE AND FESTIVAL IN WILLIAMSBURG: Brooklyn Dominican Parade and Festival also takes place on Sunday, August 28 in Williamsburg. Street closures include sections of Graham Avenue stretching from Metropolitan Avenue to Broadway.

The affected blocks include Graham/Metropolitan, Graham/Devoe, Graham Debevoise and Graham/Broadway.

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ITALIAN FESTIVAL CLOSES ON SUNDAY: Festa Di Santa Rosalia, which runs through Sunday, August 28, will close off 18th Avenue between 67th Street and Bay Ridge Parkway in Bensonhurst. The 11-day festival honors the patron saint of Palermo.

For more coverage, visit https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2022/08/23/bensonhursts-santa-rosalia-feast-continues-to-show-italian-pride/

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SOUTHERN BROOKLYN PARKS GET REVAMPED: The Mayor’s Office and City Councilmember Justin Brannan have funded a total of $7.67 million investment in three South Brooklyn Parks to make them safer, more accessible, and greener. The Bath Beach Park Playground Reconstruction, in Councilmember Brannan’s district received $5.4 million and has an expected completion date of March, 2023. The Shore Park and Parkway Dog Run Construction, funded at $1.0 million and in Brannan’s district will transform a vacant, asphalt paved lot into a new run for both large and small dogs, and complete with seating, storage, and an accessible walkway, with an expected finish date of next July.

The Mayor’s Office has funded the Shore Park and Parkway Path and Pavement Reconstruction: $1.27M, to offer a paved connection along the west limit of the park, and to reconstruct aged pavement around the Field House. A catch basin will be relocated to provide better drainage at the site.

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HUMAN CHAIN LINKS UKRAINIAN AND LATIN RITE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THIS WEEKEND: A Human Chain taking place this weekend in Williamsburg will recognize Ukrainian Independence Day, celebrated annually on August 24th, and promote continued solidarity among the people of Brooklyn and Ukraine. Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish, will lead the human chain on Sunday, August 28, 2022, beginning at 11:15 a.m. from Annunciation Roman Catholic Church at the corner of North 5th and Havemeyer streets, where it will proceed five blocks away to Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church, North 5th Street and Driggs Avenue. Standard bearers carrying the American, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian flags, will lead the procession, stopping outside Holy Ghost Church where a prayer service will begin immediately following Mass.

The main celebrant of the Mass will be Ukrainian Catholic Church Bishop Paul Chomnycky of the Eparchy of Stamford.

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FLATBUSH MARKETPLACE PREPARES FOR WEST INDIAN DAY FESTIVITIES: Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace is ready for the revival of Brooklyn’s highly anticipated West Indian Day Carnival and Parade on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, which is taking place for the first time since 2019. The Marketplace will be launching its first ever giftbox entitled “Likkle Barrel,” featuring products by the legacy entrepreneurs of Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace.

Through FCCM’s technical assistance and business supports, vendors are equipped to increase their skills, grow their enterprises, and build community wealth.

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SENIOR SUMMER FESTIVAL IN WILLIAMSBURG: JASA Williamsburg, in collaboration with St. Nick’s Alliance Older Adult Centers are co-sponsoring a Senior Summer Festival this Saturday, Aug 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2 Kingsland Avenue, in northern Brooklyn 11211. The day will include a number of invigorating activities like Salsa and Zumba dance classes, Healthy Food presentations with food demos, Self-Care activities like skin care and hair massage, Vida Pharmacy, Medicaid/Medicare and a number of other community partners/resources will be present.

JASA (Jewish Association Serving the Aging) founded in 1968, is one of New York’s largest and most trusted non-profit agencies serving older adults in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, and members of the UJA-Federation of New York network.

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BLOCK PARTY WILL HONOR GUN PREVENTION GROUPS: State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie hosts a Back-to-School Block Party for neighbors and residents of Senate District 20. The event, this Saturday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., will recognize local gun violence prevention groups that have been awarded funding by the Community Violence Intervention Act, legislation he sponsored that was signed into law in 2021. He will also present citations to the consulates of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago in recognition of the 60th anniversary of their independence.

The Back to School Block Party takes place outside 1077 Nostrand Avenue (between Lincoln Road and Lefferts Avenue), and will include backpacks and school supply giveaways, food, music, games and activities for families.

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Navy Seaman Apprentice Jamar Powell
Photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sang Kim, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

BROOKLYN NAVY SEAMAN SERVES ABOARD SHIP NAMED AFTER REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLE: Seaman Apprentice Jamar Powell, a Brooklyn native, is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided-missile cruiser, USS Cowpens, homeported in San Diego, California. A 2004 Springfield Gardens High School graduate, Powell joined the Navy one year ago. become a boatswains mate, and will be responsible for preserving and maintaining the ship. “New York taught me toughness, and to live and work with a lot of different people,” said Powell, who added, “Those lessons broadened my horizons.”

USS Cowpens is named after the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens, a major American victory near Cowpens, South Carolina. The historic battle weakened British attempts to wrest the southern colonies from American control.

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BROOKLYN CANCER CENTER OPENS SITE ON FLEET PLACE: The Brooklyn Cancer Center, a partnership between New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS), and The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) on Thursday announced the opening of its newly-created facility, at 86 Fleet Place in Downtown Brooklyn, providing a new home for the region’s top cancer care. Top-ranked physicians, including Chief of Hematology/Oncology Maxim Shulimovich, MD, Asmat Ullah, MD; Shahzaib Nabi, MD; Minh-Phuong Huynh-Le, MD, and Kalimullah Quadri, MD will staff the Brooklyn Cancer Center, which will provide state-of-the-art facilities, increased capacity, expert care and culturally sensitive services for patients with all types of cancer and blood disorders.

The Brooklyn Hospital Center is an independent community hospital in Fort Greene/Downtown Brooklyn. New York Cancer and Blood Specialists is considered one of the leading oncology practices in the nation.

The newly-opened Brooklyn Cancer Center on Fleet Place in Downtown Brooklyn
Photo courtesy of The Brooklyn Hospital Center

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GHOST GUN RETAILERS AGREE TO HALT SALE OF COMPONENTS

Two online ghost gun retailers — Rainer Arms, LLC, based in North Auburn, Washington, and Rock Slide USA, based in Broadway, North Carolina — have stopped illegally selling and delivering gun components that are used to assemble illegal and untraceable firearms to New York City residents, Mayor Eric Adams announced this morning. Following a June 2022 lawsuit against these and three other gun retailers (Arm or Ally in Kansas City, Missouri; Salvo Technologies, doing business as 80P Builder, in Largo, Florida; and Indie Guns, based in Orlando, Florida) the parties agree to immediately stop selling ghost guns to New York City residents; implement a technological bar to any such sales in the future, and provide the city with sales data for all such sales since 2020.

In addition to the city’s lawsuit, New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed her own lawsuit in June against 10 defendants — including the five named in the city’s lawsuit for selling tens of thousands of illegal, unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers that were then converted into un-serialized, untraceable handguns and assault-style weapons.

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APPLICATION PROCESS NOW REQUIRED FOR FREE OR REDUCED SCHOOL LUNCHES: Free and reduced-price school meals will now require more documentation from parents, with the expiration of Congress’ pandemic-related program that expanded access and reduced paperwork. Parents will now be required to fill out application forms that are available on their children’s school or school district’s website to receive these benefits for the upcoming school year, with additional information available via https://hungersolutionsny.org/federal-nutrition-programs/school-meals/school-meal-application-toolkit/.

Food assistance programs are particularly essential as families contend with the high cost of food, fuel and other necessities due to still-high inflation.

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MAYOR, AMAZON AGREE TO PROHIBIT SALE OF CONCEALING LICENSE PLATE COVERS: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Amazon have collaborated to further prohibit and prevent the sale of any vehicle license plate accessory advertised on the e-commerce site as a “camera blocker” to anyone ordering such a product within New York state. As part of this cooperation, Amazon will proactively search for and restrict the sale of smokescreen license plate covers and tinted license plate covers to customers with a New York state address, and has agreed to automatically display electronic notices stating that a given item cannot be shipped to New York locations — before one of these products can even be added to a customer’s online shopping cart.

The city enacted Local Law 22 this past January, prohibiting the sale of products designed to conceal or obscure vehicle license plates to New York City residents. This local law builds upon a provision of the State Vehicle and Traffic Law, which also prohibits the concealing or obscuring of license plates.