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What’s News, Breaking: Friday, March 10, 2023

March 10, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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RIBBON-CUTTING, INAUGURAL RIDE FOR NEW, ENHANCED SUBWAY CARS

The front of a brand new R211 subway train. Photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA.

MTA A-LINE — New R211 subway cars assigned to the A-line got their inaugural ride on Friday, March 10, during a ribbon-cutting with The Metropolitan Transit Authority. These models feature 58-inch-wide door openings — eight inches wider than standard door openings on existing cars — that are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations; the cars include security cameras, additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information and brighter lighting and signage.

The rollout, part of a 535-car order of the R211a model, which includes 440 cars with state-of-the-art amenities, 15 Staten Island Railway five-car trains and 20 cars with the open gangway feature, is a critical part of the MTA’s ongoing modernization efforts.

MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber and NYCT President Richard Davey participate in the inaugural ride of the first R211A subway to enter customer service, from 207 St. on the A-line on Friday, March 10, 2023. Pictured, left to right at ribbon-cutting: Richard Davey, City Council Transportation Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers, Janno Lieber, Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara, SVP of Subways Demetrius Crichlow. Photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA.
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber (not pictured) and NYCT President Richard Davey participate in the inaugural ride of the first R211A subway to enter customer service, from 207 St. on the A-line on Friday, March 10, 2023. Photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA.

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EMMAUS CENTER EXHIBIT CELEBRATE CONTEMPLATIVE LIVES OF THE VISITATION SISTERS

BAY RIDGE AND WILLIAMSBURG — The unique paintings of an artist who has captured the contemplative spirit of the Visitation Sisters in an impressionistic style will be on display at the Emmaus House, 288 Berry St. and part of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, from Saturday-Tuesday, March 11-14. Anne Goetze, who meshes photographs with dabbles, dips and soothing colors, will display her new works in the exhibit, “Pray to Love,” at The Emmaus Center, 288 Berry St., in Williamsburg. For 20 years, Goetze traveled back and forth to the town of Annecy, France, observing the life of the Visitation Sisters and taking photos at their motherhouse, where her aunt lived as a sister.

While nature and buildings are part of Goetze’s overall works, she has also developed a corpus of mixed-media work, rooted in her own pilgrimages, that brings out the joyful and yet contemplative lives of the Visitation Sisters.

A painting in Anne Goetze’s “Pray to Love” exhibit at Emmaus House in Williamsburg, running March 11-14. Photo: Visitation Monastery.

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ULURP HEARING TO REZONE BENSONHURST LOTS NEAR EL TRAINS AS MIXED-USE COMMERCIAL

BENSONHURST — A Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) hearing scheduled for Monday, March 20, at Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom will address a zoning amendment request for a development along New Utrecht Avenue in Bensonhurst within Community District (Board) 11. The applicant, 7120 New Utrecht LLC, seeks to rezone its project area on the west side of New Utrecht Ave. within feet of a stairway to the elevated MTA D train 71st Street station from R5/C2 (low-density residential) to C4-4L (General Commercial Contextual Zoning district, allowing the construction of a variety of commercial building uses, community facilities, and residential buildings).

The applicant seeks approval on a zoning text amendment to designate a new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) area coterminous with the project area for a new, 9-story mixed commercial/residential building, with about 30% of the units designated for affordable housing.

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UPCOMING PI DAY CELEBRATES MATH…AND DESSERT

NATIONWIDE — Dust off those high school math books and bake a pie. The U.S. Census Bureau reminds the public that this coming Tuesday, March 14, is Pi Day — or 3.14 — selected from the first three digits of the never-ending decimal pi(π in the Greek alphabet). Many people also celebrate Pi Day by baking a sweet version, with some preferring apple, others cherry, and still others a quiche.

The  U.S. House of Representatives in 2009 passed “H.Res.224 – Supporting the designation of Pi Day…” using a pun on the infinite decimal: “Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—supports the designation of a ’Pi Day’ and its celebration around the world; recognizes the continuing importance of National Science Foundation’s math and science education programs; and encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.”

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PUBLIC SECTOR RETIREES’ LEADER: PRIVATIZATION PLAN IS ‘DANGEROUS AND UNPRECEDENTED’

CITYWIDE — Following the Municipal Labor Committee’s March 9 vote to switch municipal retirees’ traditional public Medicare plan to Medicare Advantage by Aetna, the president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees denounced the move. Marianne Pizzitola, whose organization has fought the privatization move for more than two years, asserted, “They did this without ever seeing the contract and knowing that seniors may not be able to get into an outside Medigap plan to remain on Traditional Medicare, or not be covered in their Continued Care Residence Communities. They negotiated away the health care rights of their elderly and disabled retirees. This is dangerous and unprecedented….  Labor should never support privatizing public health care or stripping retirees of vested earned benefits. This is a sad day in labor history.”

Pizzitola pointed out that “retired union workers have been trying to educate their former unions as to the differences between Traditional Medicare with a supplement and privatized managed Medicare Advantage.”

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LABOR LEADERS APPROVE PLAN TO PRIVATIZE MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR PUBLIC SECTOR RETIREES

CITYWIDE — The Municipal Labor Committee – leaders of the public sector unions — in a move largely missed by the city’s metropolitan newspapers, voted on March 9 to approve a new Aetna-run Medicare Advantage plan for municipal retirees, reportedly forcing more than 250,000 former city workers off their existing health coverage. Gothamist, an online news service of WNYC public media, did report that United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, the committee’s executive vice chair, approved the plan. The current SeniorCare enrollees will see their plan discontinued and will have to wait until 2024 for the new plan’s prescription drug coverage.

Many are criticizing the new plan for requiring prior approval (pre-certification) for certain medically-necessary procedures; and a federal investigation recently discovered that Medicare Advantage plans frequently deny coverage for such treatment.

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TOXIC GAS COVERUP AT GOWANUS SHUFFLEBOARD CLUB: ‘20 TIMES’ SAFE LIMIT

GOWANUS — Levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the air inside Gowanus’ popular Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club were measured to be more than 20 times higher than the maximum safe amount, according to a new investigation by Gothamist, which reports although that the state Department of Environmental Conservation first detected the toxic chemicals nearly two years ago, a construction project intended to vent the fumes began only last month. The investigation raises concerns that state officials did not do enough to communicate risks to the public, and that the current plan is not comprehensive enough to shield patrons and workers from the shockingly high levels of contamination underneath the building, with a work plan issued by the DEC last year appearing to cite an unwillingness to damage the shuffleboard club’s finished floorboards as the reasoning for scaling down an earlier fume remediation plan.

Asked to comment, Royal Palms co-owner Johnathan Schnapp told Gothamist Rather than passing judgment on the benefits or drawbacks of residential development in Gowanus, the Royal Palms remains focused on nurturing the incredible community it’s built over the past decade and continuing to introduce new players to the game of shuffleboard for years to come.”

The Brooklyn Eagle reported in February that the Voice of Gowanus neighborhood coalition had charged that the Department of Environmental Conservation failed to notify Gowanus residents of toxic indoor air pollution at the shuffleboard club. Reporting from the Eagle, it was cited in the Gothamist’s roundup of the DEC’s data.

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ADAMS APPOINTS JUANITA N. HOLMES AS NEW PROBATION COMMISSIONER

CIVIC CENTER — Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the appointment of Juanita N. Holmes as the commissioner for the Department of Probation. Commissioner Holmes will lead the department and oversee the critical work of NYC probation officers, who play a key role in providing resources and support to help individuals exit the criminal justice system and thrive, according to a city press release.

Holmes began her career as a patrol officer in Manhattan in 1987, rising through the ranks to become the commanding officer of Brooklyn’s 81st Precinct before serving as chief of training for the NYPD, the first uniformed Black woman to hold the position.

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NYU TISCH PICKS INDUSTRY CITY FOR NEW SCORSESE PRODUCTION CENTER

SUNSET PARK — NYU Tisch School of the Arts announced on Wednesday that it has selected Industry City as the location for its new Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, which will offer training in virtual production, a set of cutting-edge techniques that involve the use of augmented-reality tech to allow actors and directors to work in a virtual environment and create CGI effects in real time, rather than in post-production. The 45,586-square-foot facility will be housed on the top floor of Building 8 at Industry City and is planned to feature two 3,500-square-foot, double-height, column-free stages, two 1,800-square-foot television studios, state-of-the-art broadcast and control rooms, and a variety of work and relaxation spaces for students.

The new Center was made possible by a major gift – the largest in the Tisch School’s history – announced in 2021 from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation which established the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, including the Virtual Production Center, the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies, and support for student scholarships.

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PETE DAVIDSON PUTS $30K DUMBO APT BACK ON MARKET

DUMBO — Comedian Pete Davidson’s DUMBO loft is back on the rental market after less than a year, reports the New York Post. The four-bedroom penthouse, which features a private rooftop garden, private garage and keyed elevator, is currently listed for $30,000 a month – steep even for waterfront Brooklyn.

Brooklyn’s rental and home sales markets have slowed slightly since the pandemic, but are still red-hot, especially in high-end neighborhoods like DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights and BoCoCa. 

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BROOKLYN SITES NOMINATED TO HISTORIC PLACES REGISTERS

PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS — Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 13 sites to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including the entire Prospect Lefferts Gardens Historic District, which encompasses almost 800 contributing resources; and the former English Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, located in Cypress Hills. The Prospect Lefferts Gardens area was developed between the 1890s and the 1930s and features Tudor Revival, Neoclassical, and Art Deco styles in its townhouses and apartment buildings; while the Church of the Reformation is a 1908 English Gothic Revival brick and terra-cotta church, distinct among Lutheran churches in Brooklyn at the time of its construction in its congregation’s choice to break with traditional German architectural styles.

Along with preserving New York’s history, State and National Register listings can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.

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IRS TO HOLD TAX HELP CLINIC AT METROTECH THIS WEEKEND

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The IRS is sponsoring a free Taxpayer Assistance Center on Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first floor of 2 Metro Tech, as part of its efforts to improve service this tax season. Normally, these centers are open during the week and people should have appointments to receive services, but during these Saturday hours, walk-ins will be accepted for all services routinely offered at an office, except for making cash payments.

The IRS notes that tax preparation services are not offered at their offices but that they can help residents find tax preparers in their area; and encourages interested visitors to check the IRS website for more information about what services their local IRS office provides, as well as for information about what to bring when you visit.

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NYPD SEARCHING FOR ‘MONKEY’ PAINTER

CONEY ISLAND — Police report that on the night of Wednesday, March 8, an unknown male individual approached an unoccupied NYPD van parked in the Parade Grounds Park parking lot in the vicinity of Coney Island Avenue and Caton Avenue. This individual then used black spray paint to graffiti the word “Monkey” on the passenger side of the van before fleeing on foot westbound on Coney Island Avenue.

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.

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BK MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS PREPARE FOR LEGO ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP

BROOKLYN — Seventh- and eighth-grade teams from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy and St. Saviour Catholic Academy in Park Slope and Xaverian High School’s Genesis program for middle-schoolers in Bay Ridge are preparing for the citywide finals of the NYC FIRST LEGO Robotics League tournament, scheduled for March 12 at Bronx Science. Both the seventh- and eighth-grade teams from St. Joseph the Worker took the Champions First Place Award in the semi-final round, setting high expectations for their faceoff against teams from all over the city this weekend.

The FIRST LEGO Robotics League engages youth in hands-on STEM exploration, offering a guided program that sees students work in teams to build LEGO-based robots that navigate courses and complete tasks.

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SCARCELLA-SPANTON PASSES VETERAN CAREERS BILL

ALBANY — On Wednesday, state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, who represents southern Brooklyn and Staten Island and was appointed Chair of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee in January, passed a new bill that establishes a veteran career assistance program within the SUNY and CUNY systems. Cosponsored by Sens. Jacob Ashby and Daniel Stec, Senate Bill S5018 will work to provide veteran students with assistance in resumé-writing and employment placement services.

“As both the wife of an Army Veteran & a CUNY graduate, I want to make sure that those leaving the armed forces & seeking out public higher education in New York State have access to career assistance resources. I will continue to fight for our veterans the way they fought for us.” wrote Scarcella-Spanton in a press statement.

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NYU TANDON TACKLES THREE KINDS OF CONGESTION

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — NYU Tandon School of Engineering, which recently won a $10 million reward through the C2SMART program to lead a consortium of universities researching and combating traffic congestion, is also studying two other kinds of bottleneck. NYU WIRELESS is working on Internet traffic — why that text message keeps failing to send — on the potential of the terahertz (THz) realm of the radio spectrum and greater download speeds, with tantalizing possibilities (and challenges) for mobile communications and new applications. Another congestion study tackles the common cold — and on battling the sinus congestion that comes with seasonal illness. NYU Tandon faculty have been conducting innovative data modeling and materials, combined with learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, to better understand how illnesses spread and to discover new methods of detecting and preventing them.

A partnership between NYU Tandon and Mirimus is working to develop a new, wearable microchip prototype capable of detecting airborne health threats, from viruses to pollutants.

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REPORT: BK HEIGHTS 2-BEDS TOP $6.7K, BAY RIDGE 2-BEDS ONLY $2.6K

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A new report from real estate firm MNS shows that rents across Brooklyn are wildly varied, but are on track to reach new highs this year, with February rents on Brooklyn Heights two-bedroom apartments reaching an eye-watering $6,790 on average. Renters can still find deals deeper into the borough, however — the report notes that in traditionally family-oriented Bay Ridge and Sunset Park, two-bedrooms can still be found for under $3,000 a month.

While the firm doesn’t track median prices, the report “is based on a cross-section of data from available listings and priced under $10,000, with ultra-luxury property omitted to obtain a true monthly rental average,” according to MNS.

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ADAMS ALLY ‘BLING BISHOP’ WHITEHEAD FACES NEW FRAUD CHARGE

CANARSIE — Controversial Eric Adams ally Lamor Whitehead, known as the “Bling Bishop,” arrested in December for allegedly scamming an elderly parishioner out of her life’s savings, was hit with additional fraud charges on Wednesday, March 8, reports the New York Daily News. The charges stem from the bishop’s alleged fabrication of a nonexistent bank account purporting to show a balance of more than $2 million at a time when his church actually carried a balance of under $10 on average, according to authorities, who say he used this fake bank account to apply for business loans and a mortgage for a New Jersey mansion.

Whitehead, who got his nickname after being robbed of more than $1 million in jewelry during a service at his Canarsie church, was already facing decades in prison before Wednesday’s events for the previous charges, which include wire fraud and extortion.

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15-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR SEXUALLY EXPLOITING A CHILD

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A former teaching assistant at Midwood High School has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually exploiting a child. United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez, who presided over the Thursday, March 9 sentencing in Brooklyn federal court, is also requiring the defendant, Brian Quinones, to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Between September 2019 and January 2020, Quinones, a paraprofessional at Midwood High School, used an instant messaging mobile application — and impersonated a woman — to trade dozens of videos and images depicting child pornography, and to threaten his victim with exposure of the material unless he produced more.

A court-authorized search of Quinones’s residence and the seizure of his electronic devices revealed the evidence, and Quinones pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2022.

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GOLDMAN BANKER WHO HELPED LOOT MALAYSIA’S BILLIONS TO BE SENTENCED

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Roger Ng, a former banker for Goldman Sachs convicted last month for his role in a plot to steal $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, is set to be sentenced in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday, after prosecutors urged a judge last week to send him to jail for 15 years, reported NBC News. Ng’s role in the scheme was aiding his former boss in embezzling and laundering money from the fund and bribing Malaysian officials to look the other way, for which he was reportedly paid $35 million.

Ng’s boss testified against him in court as part of a plea deal and has not yet been sentenced, while Goldman agreed in 2020 to pay $2.9 billion in restitution.

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LONG-TERM DOT PROJECT SCHEDULES GOWANUS EXPY. RAMP CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND

GOWANUS EXPRESSWAY — Motorists using the Exit 23 ramp from the eastbound Gowanus Expressway (I-278) to 38th Street this weekend will have to follow an alternate route, due to work being done as part of the New York State Department of Transportation’s NYSDOT’s $168 million Gowanus Expressway (I-278) Painting and Steel Repairs Project. The closure (weather permitting) will facilitate work from the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to 6th Avenue in Brooklyn and require a full closure of the Exit 23 ramp from eastbound Brooklyn on or about Friday night, March 10 at 11 p.m. through Saturday afternoon, March 11 around 1 p.m.

The DOT recommends that motorists take Exit 21 (3rd Avenue) and follow the signed detour along 3rd Avenue to access 38th St., while motorists approaching from the Belt Parkway take Exit 1 (65th/67th Streets) and follow the signed detour along 3rd Ave. to access 38th St.

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UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS WIN RAISE DESPITE LAWSUIT

CITYWIDE — NYC’s rideshare drivers celebrated after the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted again on Wednesday, March 8, to raise their pay, after Uber in December sued to block a previous attempt at doing so, citing what it called an improper determination of inflation costs. While courts sided with Uber and the previous raise was stalled, the TLC used feedback from Uber and drivers’ groups to work out a new formula that accounted for what a judge called a “legal technicality,” allowing the new pay increase of around 9% to pass unanimously, according to the New York Times.

A protest organized by the drivers’ union the Independent Drivers’ Guild brought Brooklyn Bridge traffic to a standstill in December, after hundreds of rideshare drivers participated in the slowdown caravan following the initial ruling in favor of Uber.

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MUNICIPAL RETIREES, UNION MEMBERS, RALLY TO SAVE THEIR TRADITIONAL MEDICARE COVERAGE

CITYWIDE — Members of New York’s various labor unions held an emergency rally Thursday morning to forestall a city vote — scheduled also for March 9 — to replace the traditional retirees’ benefits with a new, for-profit Medicare Advantage Plan. The Cross-union Retirees Org Committee has been fighting for the past three years to keep their traditional, publicly-protected health care for decades, as well as the law that protects their medical plans, Administrative Code 12-126, according to letters sent out earlier this week and again on Thursday. They are now working to block the Municipal Labor Committee from mandating that all retirees accept Aetna/CVS Medicare Advantage Plan or reportedly lose all medical coverage.

The Municipal Retirees group had won a previous lawsuit to keep their benefits and persuaded City Hall to keep the Administrative Code. Today’s march to city hall will include stops at several union headquarters.

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CITY COMPTROLLER OFFERS ONLINE WORKSHOPS ON OPEN DATA PROGRAM

CITYWIDE — As part of NYC Open Data Week, the NYC Comptroller’s Office will host public demonstrations of  Checkbook NYC, an award-winning online tool for financial transparency on March 14-16. Checkbook NYC, which provides unprecedented access to view and track how New York City government spends its annual budget, will offer online introductory and advanced workshops on Checkbook NYC on March 14-16, with an overview “Getting to Know Checkbook” on the Tuesday, an Advance Searches Techniques functionality class on Wednesday and a program on Thursday that focuses on which search mechanisms are best suited to particular queries.

In the New York City Comptroller’s Office launched Checkbook NYC in July of 2010; in the app’s 12-year history, it ranked the top transparency tool in the nation for tracking government spending by the United States Public Interest Research Group.

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NYC SCHOOLS KICK OFF CIVICS WEEK

New Dorp high schoolers at this year’s Civics Week kickoff. Photo: DOE.

NEW DORP — NYC Public Schools, the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, the Civic Engagement Commission, DemocracyNYC and a host of elected leaders on Monday, March 6, kicked off the fifth annual Civics Week at New Dorp High School in Staten Island, where students met with city officials to learn about the importance of civic education and voting, then presented “soapbox speeches” and their work on participatory budgeting and other civics projects. Throughout the week, students in all grades across the city will be visited by elected officials and will participate in classroom activities and events “designed to empower them to create change as active participants in their community.”

“It’s never too early for our kids to learn the power of their voice to build the city they dream of,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m so excited that students across New York City are celebrating our Fifth Annual Civics Week by hearing directly from our city leaders and learning the skills they’ll need to be active participants in their futures.”

A student participates in a Participatory Budgeting Workshop at the Brooklyn Occupational Training Center. Photo: DOE.

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SENATOR PARKER HONORS MASON LODGE GRANDMASTER AT CAUCUS WEEKEND

ALBANY — At the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators’ annual Legislative Caucus Conference in Albany last month, Brooklyn state Sen. Kevin Parker threw a reception honoring Gregory Robeson Smith Jr., the Most Worshipful Grandmaster of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State of New York, who also received the Chair Award at the Caucus’ annual awards ceremony. The Prince Hall Freemasons is a historic branch of the Masons founded by African American abolitionist Prince Hall during the American revolution following the exclusion of Black members from certain Masonic traditions in mainstream temples.

“It is an honor to give this well-deserved recognition to the Most Worshipful Grand Master. In his capacity he has done a yeoman’s job in holding members to the creed of making good men better and unity in all endeavors,” said Parker, a fellow member of the Prince Hall Freemasons.

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES KUCOIN FOR FAILING TO REGISTER AS BROKER-DEALER HERE

STATEWIDE — New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against KuCoin, a virtual currency trading platform that allows investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through its website and app, for failing to register as a securities and commodities broker-dealer, and falsely representing itself as an exchange. Even though KuCoin is not registered in New York State, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was able to buy and sell cryptocurrencies on KuCoin here.

Through this enforcement action, the latest in her efforts to rein in cryptocurrency platforms, Attorney General James seeks to stop KuCoin from operating in New York and to block access to its website until it complies with the law.

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GOLDMAN BACKS NEW BILLIONAIRE TAX

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman on Wednesday, March 8, announced he is co-sponsoring the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act, which would require households worth over $100 million to pay an annual minimum 20% tax rate on their full income, including, for the first time, unrealized gains, ending what a press release from Goldman called “the perverse incentive in the current tax code for ultra-wealthy individuals to inefficiently lock in their capital in perpetuity, forever holding onto their assets to avoid triggering a tax bill.” Currently, the ultra-wealthy enjoy relatively low tax rates compared to average Americans because their affluence is derived primarily from the increasing value of their assets, which is not taxable until those assets are sold, allowing billionaires to effectively make hundreds of millions of tax-free dollars a year by avoiding “tax-realizing events.”

“At a time of record wealth inequality, the wealthiest among us must help to provide more access for others to pursue the American dream that they have benefited so much from,” Goldman, himself an heir to the Levi Strauss jeans fortune, said in a press statement, adding that if passed, the tax is projected to raise $361 billion over 10 years.

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