Subscribe to our newsletters

Brooklyn Today — Daily Top News in Brooklyn

Bluedot Living Brooklyn — Simple, Smart, Sustainable Stories

Good Food Brooklyn — People Who Make It Happen

Daily Bulletin — Legal & Courthouse News

BKLYN Live — Performance, Arts & Culture

Brooklyn Space — For Living, Working, Investing

Leave this field empty if you're human:

✰✰✰

FORMER EMPLOYEES OF DESIGN-BUILD FIRM WILL RECEIVE $24K IN RESTITUTION

GOWANUS — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday, March 2 recovered $24,000 for employees of Build With Prospect, Inc., a Gowanus-based design-build company that stole wages from employees. Build With Prospect claimed to operate as a “worker cooperative,” but forced workers to become shareholders of the company by making their employment conditional on owning shares; they required its workers to sign a shareholder agreement and pay $12,000 total for their alleged shares in the company, collecting this fee by unlawfully withholding wages from workers’ paychecks. After Build With Prospect stopped operating, it then failed to pay back the workers who had contributed wages towards their shares.

The March 2 settlement, which resolves a lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) against Build With Prospect and its owners in July 2021, will return $24,000 in restitution to impacted workers.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY UNVEILS NEW SCULPTURE CELEBRATING 125 OF SERVICE TO BUREAU

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A new sculpture unveiled on Thursday, March 2 at the Brooklyn Public Library was commissioned to mark more than 125 years of the literary institution’s service to the borough. Jean Shin’s “Something Borrowed, Something Blue” — an illuminated and inverted hanging tree with roots at the ceiling — is visible from all sides and every level of the new Brooklyn Heights Library. On nights, the sculpture resembles an intricate glowing lantern while, during daylight, the contours of the leaves form the map of Brooklyn with each leaf representing a neighborhood where BPL has a branch.

Each of the leaves is inscribed and illuminated with the title of the most circulated book in the year that the respective branch opened — some of which titles have subsequently been banned in some parts of the U.S. In 1952, the year that the Sheepshead Bay branch opened, it was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451; in 1969, Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was the mainstay of Brooklyn readers.

✰✰✰

LEGISLATION WOULD INVEST IN CLEAN ENERGY GRIDS TO PROVIDE POWER AFTER CLIMATE DISASTERS

NATIONWIDE — The Energy Resilient Communities Act that Congressmember Dan Goldman (D-10/Brooklyn) is co-sponsoring will create a new program at the U.S. Department of Energy to invest in clean energy microgrids to power the critical infrastructure on which communities rely in the aftermath of an extreme weather event or power disruption. This legislation will help to reverse environmental inequities by prioritizing grants for environmental justice communities, and authorizes $1.5 billion in annual grants for clean energy microgrids to support the critical infrastructure (ranging from hospitals to grocery stories, public safety facilities, among others) that are needed in the aftermath of an extreme weather event, and $50 million in annual grants for technical assistance.

Cities and towns across the country are at increased risk from more frequent and severe natural disasters, such as wildfires, tornadoes, and floods — some within the past week, that cause loss of power in the days and weeks following a disaster.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYN CONGRESSMEMBER’S NEW BILLS WOULD TAX MAJOR OIL COMPANY PROFITS

NATIONWIDE — U.S. Rep Dan Goldman (D-10/Brooklyn) co-sponsoring legislation that would tax what he says is the large oil companies’ profiteering in the wake of the COVID pandemic, and instead reinvest in underserved and climate justice communities most susceptible to the devastating effects of climate change.  Under the bill, major oil companies would owe a per-barrel tax equal to 50% of the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the pre-pandemic average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019. This tax, to be paid quarterly, will apply to both domestically produced and imported barrels of oil, and to profits from 2022 forward.

Revenue raised from the windfall profits of big oil companies will be returned to consumers in the form of a rebate, which would phase out for single filers earning more than $75,000 in annual income and joint filers earning more than $150,000.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYN STEM TEACHERS WIN GRANTS FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

FORT GREENE AND BENSONHURST — Teachers at two Brooklyn public high schools — Michael Estrella, a science teacher and alumnus of Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene; and Xue Qing Liang a science teacher at New Utrecht High School — have been awarded STEM Research Grants from the Society for Science. This Washington, DC-based nonprofit recognizes middle and high school teachers engaging their students in authentic scientific research and has, over the past five years, awarded a total of $575,000 — including in specialized equipment — to 283 teachers, with priority consideration given to schools that support students from low-income communities and demographics underrepresented in STEM fields.

Estrella, who holds a doctorate, teaches 12th grade genetics and a research class. Ms. Liang holds advanced degrees in science education, adolescent Chinese and considers chemistry to be its own “fascinating language.”

✰✰✰

CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEAMS PARTICIPATE IN ROBOTICS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

PARK SLOPE & WINDSOR TERRACE — Four teams from two Catholic Schools in Brooklyn will be participating in the city-wide semifinals and finals of the NYC First Lego Robotics league tournament on Sundays, March 5 and 12. St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Windsor Terrace is sending its seventh-grade team to the semifinals on March 5, and the school’s eighth-grade team has already qualified for the finals on March 12. St. Saviour Catholic Academy in Park Slope has two teams competing in the semifinals.

NYC FIRST is a proud program delivery organization of FIRST robotics programs which, since 2000, has increased access to joyful STEM education in New York City through citywide robotics competitions. Likewise, FIRST® LEGO® League engages youth ages 4-14 in hands-on STEM exploration, and is often the first spark igniting a love for robotics and a passion for STEM. r

✰✰✰

NYPD SPURNS COUNCIL AT OVERSIGHT HEARING, SENDS STATEMENT INSTEAD

CIVIC CENTER — The NYPD failed to make an appearance at a City Council hearing on Wednesday regarding its controversial Strategic Response Group unit, instead sending a prepared statement, according to Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, who led the hearing. Despite the NYPD’s absence, community members and activists spoke on their experiences with the unit, which has faced criticism for its rough tactics and ballooning budget, for more than four hours.

Also on Wednesday, the city came to an agreement with protestors mistreated during the racial justice protests of 2020, agreeing to pay millions to settle claims.

✰✰✰

POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS OUTRAGED AT POLICE CONDUCT

CIVIC CENTER — Politicians, activists and community members condemned the conduct of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group unit on Wednesday, with a protest led by the NYCLU taking place outside City Hall while the public offered testimony at an oversight hearing inside. The NYCLU called attention to the city’s broken promise to not deploy the SRG, originally conceived as a counterterrorism unit, at protests; meanwhile, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams stated at the hearing: “It is unsurprising that the SRG frequently uses excessive force, as they are a specialized unit trained to respond to terrorism and violent crime; over time, the NYPD has conflated terrorism and protest, leading to the deployment of officers and militarized gear to largely nonviolent demonstrations.”

“This lack of commitment to public transparency and accountability cannot continue, and it’s a shame that the department’s leadership not only undermined its relationship with the Council but all New Yorkers by choosing to not show up,” said Council spokesperson Rendy Desamours in a statement; while Brooklyn councilmembers Chi Ossé, Shahana Hanif and Jennifer Gutierrez called for the wholesale disbanding of the unit at the NYCLU protest.

✰✰✰

ESCAPED DOG STABBED, SAVED BY PET HOSPITAL

GOWANUS — The Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group, an emergency services and specialty pet medicine center in Brooklyn, is celebrating after it saved the life of a Morkie, or Maltese-Yorkie mix, that escaped from its home and was stabbed in the streets. The Morkie, named Benji, was in critical condition when it was brought to VERG for care, but was able to be saved due to surgical intervention and is now recovering safely; however, the exact circumstances of the stabbing remain unclear, and so far, no suspect has been identified.

“Benji came to us in rough shape with a large stab wound. Fortunately, we were able… to stop the traumatic bleeding and ultimately save Benji’s life,” said Dr. Matthew Morgan, Chief of Surgery at VERG, who also warned pet owners to microchip their animal companions and to consider using GPS collars for pets at risk of escaping.

✰✰✰

MTA MAKES CHANGES TO NEW ATLANTIC LIRR SERVICE AFTER COMPLAINTS

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — MTA officials are making changes to the much-heralded new LIRR service for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal after only three days in operation, following complaints from regular riders and occasional travelers alike. “We are paying close attention to ridership data, including service options to and from Brooklyn during peak periods. We have already started to lengthen our busiest trains and will continue to monitor ridership patterns under the new schedule to see what future adjustments may be necessary,” said LIRR Interim President and Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi in a press statement.

The MTA also stated that on Wednesday, the LIRR carried 60,652 morning-peak passengers, of whom 71% traveled to Penn Station and 29% traveled to Grand Central Madison — but neglected to provide any ridership information for Atlantic Terminal, which now sends trains almost exclusively to Jamaica in Queens.

✰✰✰

ELI LILLY CAPS INSULIN COSTS AT $35

NATIONWIDE — On Wednesday, major drug manufacturer Eli Lilly announced it will cut prices on its most-prescribed insulin product by 70% and will cap out-of-pocket costs for the medication at $35 per month, beginning this spring. This move follows President Biden’s call in his State of the Union address to cap all insulin prices at $35 a month, and his Inflation Reduction Act, which lowered insulin costs for seniors on Medicare.

Diabetes is an epidemic in NYC, and affects roughly 10% of Brooklyn residents, according to The Brooklyn Hospital Center, with rates projected to continue to rise for years to come.

✰✰✰

CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN FOX EXECUTIVES’ SOCCER BRIBE TRIAL

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Lawyers were set to make closing arguments in the blockbuster trial of two former Fox sports executives for allegedly participating in a complex scheme to obtain the broadcasting rights for soccer matches from a South American FIFA affiliate, among other crimes. While the trial has focused on the fight over the broadcast rights to the Copa Libertadores, star witnesses in January and February also leveled accusations that the executives had also used slimy tactics to score the rights to the World Cup, soccer’s biggest tournament.

The arguments are set to take place at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 2, in Brooklyn federal court.

✰✰✰

POLICE: GANG OF THIEVES TARGETING RIDESHARE DRIVERS

CITYWIDE — The police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying several unknown individuals in association with a string of at least 24 different robberies within rideshare car services which occurred throughout the city between July 4, 2022 and Jan. 7, 2023. In each incident, the unidentified individuals asked the driver to change their destination, then used the opportunity to snatch the drivers’ phones and flee; and while in possession of the victims’ phones, using them to transfer money from the victims’ accounts to their own.

Anyone with information regarding this incident 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, log onto the Crime Stoppers website or Tweet @NYPDTips.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYN ORGS TO GET CITY COUNCIL FUNDING FOR IMMIGRANT SUPPORT

CITYWIDE — On Wednesday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was joined by her colleagues and several philanthropic foundations to announce a new $2.2 million public-private partnership initiative, called “Welcome NYC,” that will fund organizations providing a variety of essential services to asylum-seekers and to communities across the city. Several major philanthropic foundations are collectively contributing $1 million towards the initiative, including the Brooklyn Community Foundation; while the Council is allocating $1.2 million in total to more than two dozen non-profit organizations, including in Brooklyn the Academy of Medical and Health Services, the Mixteca Organization, the Arab American Association of New York, Muslim Giving Back and Churches United for Fair Housing.

“Since last spring, New York City has welcomed more than 47,000 people seeking asylum in the United States. More than 29,000 people remain in the City’s care, primarily in 88 emergency shelters and seven Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Centers,” said the Council in a statement announcing the initiative.

✰✰✰

GROUP CHALLENGES STATE BAN ON GUNS IN CHURCHES

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the Second Amendment Foundation filed a reply brief with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Hardaway Jr. v. Nigrelli, its federal challenge of New York’s current gun control statutes, arguing that there is no historical evidence supporting a ban on firearms in places of worship at the time of the nation’s founding and that, as a result, a preliminary injunction against the law granted by the District Court should stand. The lawsuit is one of many challenging various aspects of New York’s relatively strict gun control policy following a Supreme Court decision last year that overturned its previous regulations.

“The state is trying to get around the high court’s Bruen ruling, and the Constitution at the same time, and we cannot allow this to stand,” SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb wrote in a press statement explaining the foundation’s perspective.

✰✰✰

CUNY WAIVES APPLICATION FEE FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

CITYWIDE — The City University of New York is waiving the $65 application fee for New York City public high school seniors who apply between March 1 and April 15 to attend a CUNY college this coming fall. This six-week initiative, for which all New York City Public Schools seniors graduating between now and August are eligible, is part of University’s historical mandate to expand access to higher education — particularly to first-generation college students, immigrants and working-class Black and Latinx New Yorkers who bore the brunt of the pandemic’s most severe effects.

“This initiative is an example of how the University and the New York City public schools have a powerful partnership and are working together to help make the transition from high school to CUNY a seamless one,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.

✰✰✰

BILL ADDRESSING DYSLEXIA PASSES ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEWIDE — Notwithstanding a veto on the matter from Governor Kathy Hochul, legislation from Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D-44) on screening and support for the learning disorder dyslexia has passed the Assembly Education Committee. The legislation will require the New York State Education Department Commissioner to establish a task force consisting of experts in diagnosis, specially-trained teachers, a dyslexic student(s) and parent(s) of a dyslexic child that will examine appropriate and effective evidence-based screening methods, reading interventions and other educational supports for dyslexia and related disorders for students in kindergarten through grade five.

Wednesday’s committee green-light marks the first action this session on Carroll’s three-bill package on literacy and dyslexia. Although both houses of state legislature passed the bill last year, Governor Hochul vetoed it last November. 

✰✰✰

10% OF NEW YORK HOUSEHOLDS COULDN’T AFFORD FOOD

STATEWIDE — Approximately 10%, or about 800,000, New York households experienced food insecurity at some point between 2019-21, according to a report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report found that the number of households facing food insecurity —  the inability to obtain adequate food for everyone in the home due to a lack of resources  — declined during the COVID-19 pandemic due to federal relief programs and the expansion of federal food assistance programs. DiNapoli raised the concern that food insecurity may grow as federal benefits lapse. Notably, additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits expired on March 1.

DiNapoli recommends that Federal Child Tax Credit Expansion be renewed, that SNAP, WIC and school meal programs be expanded, and that support for state nutritional programs be continued. He also urges the state to implement the White House Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

✰✰✰

SHOW & TELL CONEY ISLAND HISTORY

CONEY ISLAND — “Vanished Attractions,” an exploration of past amusement icons, is the theme of this month’s Coney Island History Show & Tell, an interactive reminiscence event presented by the Coney Island History Project via Zoom, being held on Thursday, March 16. Participants will discuss Steeplechase Park and Astroland, fun houses and dark rides, Fascination parlors, bungalow colonies, and the mechanical Laughing Lady. The Show & Tell will also explore what made these vanished attractions so beloved, and the reason they disappeared.

Brooklynites wishing to share historical or personal objects or stories related to Coney Island may also sign up to “show and tell” their story by emailing [email protected].

✰✰✰

‘MAKING BROOKLYN BLOOM’ CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON URBAN FORESTRY INNOVATIONS

BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN/CROWN HTS — “Deeply Rooted: Traditional Knowledge, Equity, and a New Era in Urban Forestry,” is the topic of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual Wilbur A. Levin Keynote Address, as part of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Making Brooklyn Bloom conference on March 11. Dr. Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation, Portland State University, will give the address, raising the question:

“Can urban greening projects address historic injustices, respond to community aspirations, and draw on traditional ecological knowledge?”. The 41st annual Making Brooklyn Bloom conference is themed “Tapping the Power of Trees: How the Urban Forest Will Save Cities,” and celebrates the Garden’s yearlong focus on urban trees.

 The Wilbur A. Levin Keynote lecture is named for a longtime Brooklyn Botanic Garden board member, Clerk of the Supreme Court, banker and philanthropist who died in 2005.

✰✰✰

NOW-DISBARRED LAWYER STOLE SETTLEMENT FUNDS FROM HIS BROOKLYN CLIENTS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Brooklyn clients of a New Jersey lawyer who stole significant funds have received compensation, and the attorney has been sentenced to one to three years in prison, with State Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun presiding. The defendant, whom Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez identified as Raleigh Douglas Herbert, 61, pleaded guilty to second- and third-degree grand larceny in December 2022 and has been disbarred. The defendant stole approximately $575,000 in settlement funds from two dozen of his clients in Brooklyn, as well as approximately $96,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, by filing fraudulent loan applications through the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) run by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

As of this date, the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection of the State of New York has reimbursed a total of approximately $470,000 to 16 of the defendant’s victims.

✰✰✰

GILLIBRAND, SCHUMER, GOLDMAN JOIN ON 9/11 HEALTH CARE BILL

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Daniel Goldman, along with Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Jerrold Nadler and Anthony D’Esposito and Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, 9/11 health program advocates, and 9/11 responders and survivors announced the bipartisan “9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2023” to close the funding shortfall in the $1 billion World Trade Center Health Program. The bill, sponsored by Gillibrand in the Senate and Garbarino in the House, will address the long-term funding shortfall, allow excluded Pentagon and Shanksville responders to join the program, and make technical corrections to the program.

Congress established the WTCHP in 2011 to provide lifetime medical treatment and monitoring for 9/11 responders and survivors suffering from the effects of the toxins at Ground Zero, now including responders and survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the Shanksville crash site, children who were in schools in downtown Manhattan on 9/11 and during clean-up, and those who have since experienced, or are expected to experience, adverse health effects that are linked to the attacks in the coming years.

✰✰✰

CYBERSECURITY ACT ADVANCES IN NY SENATE

ALBANY — On Tuesday, the Secure Our Data Act, sponsored by Brooklyn’s Kristen Gonzalez, passed the New York state Senate Internet and Technology Committee. This legislation would prepare and protect New York state entities against ransomware attacks by requiring the Office of Information and Technology Services to develop data protection standards for state agencies; requiring state entities to engage in regular vulnerability testing of information systems; requiring each state entity to create an inventory of its information systems; and requiring each state entity to develop an incident response plan for ransomware and other malware attacks.

The legislation follows a ransomware attack on One Brooklyn Health’s hospitals late last year that severely impacted patient care, according to doctors and staff at the affected hospitals.

✰✰✰

COUNCIL TO HOLD MEETING ON VIOLENT NYPD ANTI-PROTEST UNIT

CIVIC CENTER — The City Council is set to conduct an oversight hearing on the NYPD’s controversial Strategic Response Group Unit on Wednesday morning, following a postponement in January. The group, founded in 2015 ostensibly as a counterterrorism unit, has faced legal action and criticism from politicians and activists after its conduct during the 2020 summer protests led to numerous injuries and arrests; with several councilmembers signing on to an open letter calling for its disbandment, including Brooklyn’s Crystal Hudson, Jennifer Gutierrez, Chi Ossé, Lincoln Restler, Shahana Hanif, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Aviles and Rita Joseph.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers; a livestream will be available online on the Council’s official website.

✰✰✰

ANIMAL LOVERS ON EDGE AFTER REPORTS OF CAT ABUSE

FLATBUSH — Animal lovers online are warning that an unknown person or people in Queens and Brooklyn may be targeting and abusing neighborhood cats, after several cats were found by animal groups with severe and disturbing injuries in the last week. Users of the discussion website Reddit’s /r/nyc group shared that the animal rescue charity Puppy Kitty NYC has discovered several cats with severe or fatal injuries to their feet and legs in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens, while fellow nonprofit Flatbush Cats reported discovering a male cat whose genitals had been mutilated.

Puppy Kitty NYC is fundraising to cover the vet expenses of the injured cats, and is warning the public to be on the lookout for the potential abuser and to keep their cats indoors.

✰✰✰

BAY RIDGE TREE COLLECTION PROJECT AIMS TO CATALOG NEIGHBORHOOD’S TREES

BAY RIDGE — Artist Kate Dodd is asking Bay Ridgers to help take stock of the neighborhood’s tree coverage by participating in her Bay Ridge Tree Collection Project, which allows residents to highlight and celebrate street trees and will ultimately be displayed at the Bay Ridge Library in an upcoming ecological art exhibition. Participants who sign up in advance can help create a lithograph of their favorite tree with artist Ellen Coleman Izzo at PrintSpace’s March 3 First Friday event.

Guidelines for participation in the tree collection project can be found online on the website of the Stand4 Gallery.

✰✰✰

RECORDS REVEAL SLAVEHOLDING PAST OF BROOKLYN CHURCH DONORS

PARK SLOPE — A group of congregants at Park Slope’s Old First Reformed Church has discovered a disturbing past behind some of the historic church’s earlier splendor, reports the New York Times, with research into church records revealing that the wealth of the two families who donated its Tiffany stained glass windows had been generated partially by participation in slavery. While slavery had been banned in New York by the time of the windows’ purchase and none of the donors were directly involved themselves, the church believes it’s important to recognize that the presence of the windows is a demonstration of the lingering effects of slavery in the modern day.

“Our thinking is this is where a lot of the wealth of the church came from. The windows were a very visible, tangible manifestation of it,” Margaret Kearney, co-chair of the church’s Reconciliation and Racial Justice working group, told the Times.

✰✰✰

MAYOR TO ATTEND JUDGE’S INDUCTION TO SUPREME COURT

BUSHWICK — Hon. Susan Quirk is set to be inducted to the New York state Supreme Court on Thursday, in a celebration attended by Mayor Adams, Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez and other dignitaries. Quirk, previously a family court judge, was elected to the post in November, and will serve until her term ends in 2037.

The induction ceremony will be held at P.S. 376 in Bushwick, and will take place on Thursday, March 2, at 6 p.m.

Leave a Comment

---

Related Articles

What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, April 30, 2024

April 30 | Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Brooklyn man faces murder charges in death of three-year-old neighbor

April 29 | Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

AG Letitia James urged to probe Monroe DA Sandra Doorley’s traffic incident

April 29 | Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Brooklyn Bar Association to honor leading legal figures at annual meeting

April 29 | Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Leave a Comment

Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website

Comment