What’s News, Breaking: Friday, December 9, 2022

December 9, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN BROOKLYN: Plymouth Church presents a reading of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol today, Sunday (the third Sunday in Advent) at 1:15 p.m. The hour-long performance is part of the landmark church’s 175th anniversary celebration, and honors Dickens’ 1868 visit to the city, including four nights at Plymouth.

The hyper-local cast will create a 19^th century English ambiance, complete with tea and scones. Caroline Koster plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and James Koster plays Scrooge.

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This male, described as having a dark complexion, being approximately 35 to 45 years of age, 5’8″ tall, 180lbs, with black short hair, was last seen wearing a black hooded sweater, multi-color jacket, black jeans and white and light blue sneakers.
Photo credit: NYPD/Crimestoppers

MAN WANTED IN CROWN HEIGHTS STRANGULATION ATTEMPT: The NYPD asks the public to identify a man who began strangling a woman on Washington Avenue on Tuesday, December 6. The incident, which was reported as taking place around 11:30 p.m. near Washington Ave. and Montgomery St. in Crown Heights, within the 71^st Precinct, happened as the perpetrator followed a 26-year-old woman into her residential building and strangled her from behind, before she struggled with him and began screaming.

The male fled without removing any property or cause any reported injury to the victim.

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CHARGED IN DAUGHTER’S DEATH, DAY BEFORE HER SECOND BIRTHDAY: DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN —A Brooklyn man has been charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and other charges after he allegedly hit his 23-month-old daughter in the head, causing her death — the day before her second birthday. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, identifying the defendant as Robert Wright, 33, of Brownsville, said the investigation revealed that Wright hit his daughter in the back of the head with a blunt object, with the impact causing brain injury trauma, bleeding, swelling, and leading to her October 5 death.

The defendant was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Donald Leo, released on $100,000 bail and was ordered to return to court on January 27, 2023.

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NYPD SEEKS ALLEGED TOOL BURGLAR: MARINE PARK —Police are asking the public to identify an individual in connection with a burglary incident in which tools were taken from a construction site in Marine Park, within the 61^st Precinct. The NYPD received a report that the unidentified male entered through the front door of the Big Dream early learning center on Avenue U around 3:30 a.m., and removed approximately $4,696 in Dewalt and Milwaukee tools before fleeing on foot to parts unknown.

The male suspect pictured here is described as having a light complexion, being approximately 40 to 45 years old, 6’0″ tall and 180 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, brown boots and a gray skullcap.
Photo credit: NYPD Crimestoppers

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TRAFFICKING KINGPIN’S CONVICTION AND 120-SENTENCE UPHELD: The Appeals Court-Second Circuit has slammed prison door shut on Nxivm sex trafficking kingpin Keith Raniere. The court on Friday affirmed the earlier trial conviction and 120-year sentence imposed on him for racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking and attempted sex trafficking, in connection with his decade long leadership of an enterprise consisting of members of purported self-help groups Nxivm and DOS, which Raniere founded.

The Indictment also charged Defendant Clare Bronfman and others with a number of related crimes. The Government alleged that Bronfman served on NXIVM’s executive board, and that Raniere maintained a rotating group of female NXIVM members with whom he had sexual relationships.

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BROOKLYN COLLEGE MEN’S TEAM INDUCTED INTO SCHOOL’S ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME: By reaching the Final Four of the 1981-82 NCAA tournament — the same year blockbuster movie “ET” was topping the box office — the Brooklyn College men’s basketball team accomplished something out of this world that no other CUNY athletics team had done before or since. Fast forward some 40 years later and that same team enjoyed a night to remember as it was inducted into the Brooklyn College Athletics Hall of Fame on December 2. The squad also enjoys the distinction of being the first team inducted into the Brooklyn Athletics Hall of Fame, an honor that had been reserved for individual athletes.

The event was fittingly held before a men’s and women’s basketball double-header and was attended by most of the Kingsmen from that incredible era.

Members of the 1982 “Kingsmen” Basketball team stand with the wife of late coach Mark Reiner, Tina, at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on December 2.
Photo courtesy Brooklyn College

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NEW LAW SETS SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR SPACE HEATERS: New legislation that Governor Kathy Hochul signed on Thursday will require electric space heaters to have thermostats, automatic shut-offs, and to be certified by a testing and certification body that the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognizes and approves. The measure (S.7863A/A.9181B) comes less than a year after the tragic fire in the Twin Parks apartments claimed 19 lives and aims to prevent any more senseless deaths and injuries as New Yorkers heat their homes this winter.

Moreover, legislation (S.7863A/A.9181B) amends the general business law to prohibit any retailer of electric space heaters from selling them in New York State without a thermostat, automatic shut off, and certification by reputable OSHA- recognized body.

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HOUSING NOW CONFERENCE OFFERED FOR FAITH-BASED ADVOCATES: City Comptroller Brad Lander has teamed up with faith-based organizations and houses of worship, which he credits as being advocates for a more humane approach to housing. Lander’s office and the Interfaith Center of New York will co-host Housing Now: Faith Communities’ Call to Action, a virtual conference aimed at bringing New Yorkers of faith and their communities into the movement for safe, affordable housing. The conference for clergy, lay leaders and faith-based activists will offer panels and workshops on: building housing for the public good, protecting tenants’ rights, confronting homelessness, protecting vulnerable populations, improving public housing, and concrete steps that faith communities can take to address the affordable housing crisis in their local communities and beyond. Register here.

The workshops (Thursday, December 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. via Zoom and 4 to 6 p.m. in-person) will be followed by an affordable housing tour and community conversation at Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement.

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ORGAN RECITAL SERIES AT GRACE CHURCH: During the Christian season of Advent, Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights is offering a Tuesday Organ Recital series which, on Tuesday, December 13 will feature Craig R. Whitney, veteran New York Times editor and foreign correspondent, and author of “All The Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ And Its American Masters.” The December 20 recital will feature oboist Scott Bartucca with Paul Richard Olson, who just marked 30 years as Grace Church’s organist.

The recitals run from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the church, 254 Hicks Street.

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NYU TANDON SCHOOL PROFESSOR NAMED A FELLOW OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS: Shivendra Panwar, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The fellowship recognizes Panwar’s wide-ranging innovation in the field of wireless communications; his most recent work includes a new system called “streamloading,” a technology that improves wireless streaming over wireless cellular networks through preloading fine grain detail to devices, making possible high quality video and audio even while service deteriorates.

Panwar holds over 25 patents in areas like packet switches, online media streaming, and cybersecurity of wireless communications.

Dr. Shivendra Panwar
Photo courtesy NYU Tandon School of Engineering

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SURPRISE VISIT AND SNEAKERS FROM METS’ MARRIED MASCOTS: Mr. and Mrs. Met made a special visit to students at Middle School 821-Sunset Park Prep and MS 136K-Charles O. Dewey on Thursday, December 8 to gift the youths with New Balance sneakers as part of the Rising New York Road Runners winter shoe distribution, which served as a precursor to this Saturday’s NYRR Frosty 5K, kicking off the winter running season. After lacing up their new sneakers at Thursday’s event the kids participated in fitness games and activities alongside Mr. and Mrs. Met, in a head-to-head competition.

Throughout the holiday season Rising New York Road Runners, a free, nationwide youth fitness program, will provide 1,000 pairs of free shoes to students at more than 75 schools across New York City.

Students participate in fitness activities with Mr. Met. Mrs. Met is in background, wearing team uniform and ponytail.
Photo credit: New York Road Runners

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‘GET STUFF BUILT’ PLAN AIMS TO REDUCE WHAT MAYOR CALLS BUREAUCRATIC OBSTACLES: Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday, December 8 unveiled “Get Stuff Built,” a comprehensive, three-pronged effort to address New York City’s affordable housing crisis and underlying housing shortage by rapidly accelerating the pace of housing production, with a “moonshot” goal of meeting the need for 500,000 new homes over the next decade. His office has released the Building and Land Use Approval Streamlining Task Force (BLAST)’s report, titled “Get Stuff Built,” a report that includes 111 concrete actions the city will take to create more housing more quickly by cutting red tape, streamlining processes, and removing what they call bureaucratic obstacles that are slowing housing production and economic recovery

It remains to be seen whether these projects would still have to undergo the Uniform Land Use Review Process and approval by the local Community Boards.

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STABBING VICTIM WAS FROM BROOKLYN: The NYPD has identified the victim of a stabbing in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night just after 11 p.m. Police and EMS who responded found a 24-year-old male, now identified as Brooklyn resident Carlos Rosario of Powell Street, in Brownsville.

No arrests have yet been made and the investigation remains ongoing.

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BROOKLYN CONGRESSMEMBER PRAISES PASSAGE OF ‘RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT’: The U.S. House of Representatives has cleared the Respect for Marriage Act in a bipartisan vote of 258-169. The landmark legislation, which now goes to President Biden’s signature into law, recognizes same and interracial marriages and prohibits states from denying the validity of an out-of-state marriage based on sex, race or ethnicity. While the bill only months ago seemed to have low chances of being enacted, it was bolstered when a coalition of prominent Republican donors, some of whom are gay, came forward with their support.

This pivotal legislation preserves more than the right for gay and interracial couples to marry, but sends a powerful and resounding message that discrimination is unwelcome in our modern society,” said U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-9th District), who represents a large swath of Brooklyn ranging from Bedford-Stuyvesant to Sheepshead Bay.