What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

April 11, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CUNY SCHOOLS WILL END VACCINE MANDATE AT END OF THEIR CURRENT TERM

CITYWIDE — As with the state-level public university system, CUNY (City University of New York) will end its emergency vaccination mandate for students, faculty and staff, effective on the last day of the Spring semester, which for most colleges is May 23, and will allow students to enroll in classes, regardless of their vaccination status, starting with Summer sessions. If the change is ratified by the CUNY Board of Trustees at their next meeting, the mandate will end at 22 of the CUNY colleges and for all Central Office employees on May 23, except for Kingsborough Community College in southern Brooklyn, whose shorter semesters run on a different schedule, with the current term ending on June 16.

The City University of New York made the announcement on Tuesday, April 11, that the mandate is being lifted in the wake of significant advances in the three-year battle against COVID-19 and consistent with the federal government’s plan to end the Public Health Emergency.

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SUNY SCHOOLS NO LONGER REQUIRE COVID VACCINES, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THEM

STATEWIDE — A COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be mandated for students to attend the State University of New York (SUNY’s) 64 campuses, effective for summer courses, which coincides with the official end of the national public health emergency by President Biden’s administration, the system’s Chancellor announced on Tuesday, April 11. Moving forward, COVID-19 vaccinations will be strongly encouraged for students, which is consistent with other viruses including influenza and mpox; and faculty and staff will be encouraged to stay up to date on their own vaccination series.

The decision came at the recommendation of state health officials and SUNY’s Public Health Expert Advisory Committee (composed of physicians and experts in infectious disease, public health and neuroscience) which was convened earlier this year to collect and review data on vaccinations, as well as trends in infection rates from newer variants.

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MAYOR ADAMS RESOLVES TO KEEP MEDICATION ABORTION ACCESSIBLE TO ALL WHO NEED IT

CITY HALL — Responding to a Texas federal judge’s ruling last week to rescind FDA approval on an established abortion drug, Mayor Eric Adams outlined other plans, as part of a virtual press conference he gave on April 11 with Planned Parenthood. A stay has been requested on the ruling but, if the latter does take effect this week, the mayor said, “New York City’s public hospital system and its Health Department will continue to make medication abortion accessible to all by shifting to a different treatment regimen that will comply with the law.”

Mayor Adams extolled New York City’s legacy in women’s rights, referring to the place “where Eleanor Roosevelt, Shirley Chisholm, and Gloria Steinem blazed in new path for women in America, who will never let these freedoms be taken away, especially the right to live life on your own terms without conservative judges deciding what’s best for you.”

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GOVERNOR DIRECTS NY STATE TO STOCKPILE MISOPROSTOL IN PROTECTING ACCESS TO ABORTION

STATEWIDE — New York State will stockpile the abortion medication Misoprostol as part of ongoing efforts to protect access to abortion, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday, April 9. She has directed the state to begin purchasing Misoprostol in order to stockpile 150,000 doses — a five-year supply — in order to meet anticipated needs. Building on a nation-leading $35 million investment to support abortion providers last year, New York will also commit up to an additional $20 million to providers to support access to other methods of care.

Moreover, Gov. Hochul is currently working with the State Assembly and Senate on new legislation to require private insurers to cover Misoprostol when it’s prescribed off-label for abortion and to ensure that no provider is charged increased medical malpractice coverage rates or loses coverage due to prescribing Misoprostol off-label.

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BEDFORD AVE. HOUSING COMPLEX SELECTED FOR NYSERDA’s LOW CARBON PATHWAYS PROGRAM

CLINTON HILL/BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — The Bedford Place Condominium (1240 Bedford Avenue), a 43-unit post-1980 low rise condo between Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant, is one of six projects selected to participate in the first round of the Low Carbon Pathways for Multifamily Buildings program. The program, through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is awarding a total of $1.9 million for market-rate or affordable multifamily co-op, condo, and rental buildings, to upgrade their building envelope, ventilation, space heating and cooling, or domestic hot water systems and thus improve energy efficiency.

The $7.8 million Low Carbon Pathways for Multifamily Buildings program is an open enrollment opportunity administered by NYSERDA. The program provides financial incentives to implement one or more low-carbon building improvement packages.

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NEW CITY COUNCIL BILL WOULD REQUIRE FAST-FOOD OUTLETS TO RE-USE PACKAGING AND UTENSILS

CITYWIDE — ‘Choose to Reuse,’ a new bill introduced in City Council on Tuesday, April 11, would require corporate-owned fast casual food establishments in the five boroughs to offer consumers the option to request reusable food packaging and participate in a system for return of the food packaging. The law — officially titled Intro 1003 — of which City Councilmember Sandy Nurse (D-37/Bushwick to East New York) is a co-sponsor, would also mandate certain establishments provide reusable eating utensils and containers for dine-in customers unless otherwise requested by the customer.

Although in recent years, packaging marketed as biodegradable or compostable has been positioned as a solution, those single-use solutions contribute further to climate-warming emissions and waste, and many cities’ organics processing centers no longer even accept such containers for composting.

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POPULAR LONG ISLAND FOOD CONCEPT COMES TO BROOKLYN AT 32 COURT ST.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — With a delicious food concept, a unique preparation and a striking name, open-faced sandwiches on flat bagels — called Filthy Flats — owner Randy Narod has brought his popular concept from Baldwin to Brooklyn. Conveniently and aggressively, Filthy Flats is offering Downtown Brooklyn and the nearby courthouse crowd food options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With the motto “All Day, the Filthy Way!” their menu is a remarkable cornucopia of culinary opportunities.

Now open and in the middle of a soft launch at 32 Court St., Filthy Flats will officially stage their grand opening on April 15. To read more background on this food concept, please visit our Premium Content.

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HEAD OF LARGEST POLICE UNION WILL STEP DOWN IN JUNE

CITYWIDE — Pat Lynch, the Police Benevolent Association’s longest serving leader, has announced he will step down from that leadership in June, according to a report on Spectrum New York 1 News and a press release from the PBA. Lynch, who joined the NYPD in 1984, has served six terms as head of the PBA. As he is not seeking re-election, the union will vote on its new president in two months; the winner will begin his or term in July.

Lynch, who made his announcement on April 11, less than a week after the PBA and the city and the PBA reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, said he will not stand for re-election to avoid the union’s having to deal in 2026 with both a leadership change and contract negotiations.

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K5 ROBOT WILL PROVIDE EXPANDED CAMERA COVERAGE FOR CONFINED PUBLIC AREAS

CITYWIDE — The NYPD’s third new crime-deterrent technology is the K5 Autonomous Security Robot, which will provide additional camera coverage of confined public areas, such as transit facilities. The K5 ASR uses self-driving technology with onboard cameras and sensors which enable it to travel a predetermined path set by the operator. The device provides real-time situational awareness and actionable intelligence to first responders, and provides physical deterrence to crime.

The K5 ASR robot has been used by law enforcement agencies, college campuses, corporations, shopping malls, etc., across the country to provide security.

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DIGIDOG WILL ASSIST NYPD IN HAZARDOUS AND HOSTAGE SITUATIONS

CITYWIDE — One of the new policing technologies that the NYPD announced on Tuesday, April 11, which could replace live K9 units in dangerous situations, is DigiDog, to be utilized in the department’s Technical Assistance & Response Unit. Weighing 70 pounds and moving at a top speed of 3.5 miles per hour, the remote-controlled DigiDog is capable of two-way audio communication, and can be equipped with radiation detectors, gas meters, and thermal sensors. It is designed to traverse difficult terrain and is ideal for hostage negotiations, barricaded individuals, hazardous chemical/radiation zones, and other dangerous incidents.

NYPD pledges that neither of these robotic devices will be outfitted to carry a weapon.

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NYPD SET TO LAUNCH NEW POLICING ROBOTICS

CITYWIDE — Starting this summer, the NYPD will deploy three new policing technologies to keep the nation’s largest city safe: the StarChase GPS tag attachment system, the DigiDog mobile robot, and the K5 Autonomous Security Robot. StarChase, which operates via a GPS tag on a hand-held or vehicle-mounted launcher, allows the NYPD to track fleeing vehicles remotely and avoid high-speed chases on crowded streets.

The NYPD points out that the StarChase system will be deployed only when there is probable cause to believe that the vehicle was used in the commission of a crime.

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FORMER FINANCIAL INDUSTRY AUTHORITY BROKER BEING CHARGED IN CRYPTOCURRENCY SCHEME

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A former investment banker and registered broker with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, April 11. The defendant, identified as Rashawn Russell, faced charges of perpetrating a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, as alleged in court documents, in which he is accused of defrauding multiple investors by falsely promising that their money would be used for cryptocurrency investments that would generate large — and sometimes “guaranteed” — returns. In reality, Russell misappropriated much of the investors’ money, using it for his personal benefit, to gamble, and to repay other investors.

Arrested on Monday, April 10, Russell was to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. on Tuesday afternoon.

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BROOKLYN NATIVE RECEIVES AWARD ABOARD USS IWO JIMA

USS IWO JIMA/NAVY — Fireman Apprentice Warren Allen, left, a native of Brooklyn, on April 6 received an award recognizing the value of ownership while serving aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7). Today, Allen serves as a machinist’s mate responsible for operating and maintaining steam turbines and reduction gears used for ship propulsion and auxiliary machinery such as turbo generators, pumps and oil purifiers. USS Iwo Jima, which is named for the 1945 battle in which three divisions of U.S. Marines took control of a tiny island from more than 20,000 enemy defenders, has supported major humanitarian-assistance and combat operations in which the United States has been involved.

The Iwo Jima’s value of Ownership, for which F.A. Allen was recognized, is synonymous here with accountability and the understanding that a leader ultimately takes responsibility for everything the team does or does not do.

Fireman Apprentice Warren Allen (at left) a Brooklyn native of Brooklyn, received an award while serving aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) on April 6. Photo: US Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Caitlin E. Mazzola.

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GREEN ENERGY IS FOCUS ON VISIT FROM CABINET SECRETARY GRANHOLM

GREENPOINT AND LONG ISLAND CITY — Green and solar energy is the focus of a visit that U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm is making to New York City on Tuesday, April 11. Hosting her is Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-7), in whose district the Ravenswood Generating Station and the Greenpoint Library are located; together they are scheduled to tour Ravenswood for an inside look at how the plant powers New York City and how bold federal action – particularly the Inflation Reduction Act — enables transformative green energy investments at this site.

Following conversations with the Ravenswood Generating Station workforce and community leaders from nearby public housing developments, Granholm and Velázquez are scheduled to give a talk at the Greenpoint Library on the use of solar energy to power a significant building in the community.

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MAN ROBBED AFTER LEAVING CAR TO CONFRONT GROUP

CROWN HEIGHTS — On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 21, a 40-year-old man was sitting inside of a parked vehicle at the intersection of Utica Avenue and Union Street, when an unknown group of approximately ten people approached, one of whom kicked the victim’s vehicle. When the victim stepped out of his vehicle to confront the individual, the entire group began to chase him; after catching him, they punched and kicked the victim multiple times about the head and body before removing his cellphone and fleeing in different directions.

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); the public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

Do you recognize any of these individuals? All tips submitted to police are strictly confidential.

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AG JAMES, OFFICIALS TO HOST GUN BUYBACK

WILLIAMSBURG — New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez, state Sen. Julia Salazar, Assemblymember Maritza Davila and councilmembers Jennifer Gutierrez, Chi Osse and Lincoln Restler, on Monday announced that her office will be hosting a voluntary gun buyback event later this month at All Saints Roman Catholic Church in Williamsburg. Anyone is allowed to drop off guns of any type, no questions asked, in exchange for preloaded gift cards with rewards of amounts ranging from $500 for an assault rifle or ghost gun to $25 for a non-functioning firearm or 3D-printed model.

Members of the public are asked to bring their unloaded firearms in bags or boxes to the church, located at 115 Throop Ave., on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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COUNCIL SIGNS ON TO UNION GREEN INITIATIVE

CITYWIDE — Thirty members of the City Council on Monday sent a letter to Mayor Adams urging his administration to take advantage of available Inflation Reduction Act funding, in order to accelerate the installation of solar panels on public school buildings and to complete school energy-efficiency retrofits by 2030, and announcing their support of the union-led Carbon Free and Healthy Schools Initiative ahead of Earth Day. The council cites estimates that meeting those goals would create 45,000 new union jobs, save the city’s schools $8.5 billion in energy costs over 30 years, and help the city meet its emissions reduction targets — but says that these initiatives will be underfunded without using funds from the IRA, which must be spent within the next ten years.

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year, also offers a variety of benefits and incentives for homeowners and small businesses to adopt green technologies and energy-efficient practices, alongside the funding it provides to governments and other groups.

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NEW VERSION OF TARTUFFE TO PREMIERE IN PROSPECT PARK

PARK SLOPE — Theater group Molière in the Park on Monday announced the cast for its production of the English language premiere of a new version of Molière’s “Tartuffe,” a historical edition reconstructed from original sources by French scholar Georges Forestier as a recreation of the saucy play’s original script, which was banned by French king Louis XIV and long thought lost. Matthew Rauch (“Junk” on Broadway, Amazon’s “The Terminal List,” HBO’s “Banshee”) stars as Tartuffe, with Michelle Veintimilla (“The Visit” on Broadway, ABC’s “The Baker and the Beauty,” “Which Way to the Stage” at MCC) as Elmire, alongside a diverse case that includes actors Kim Awon, Kaliswa Brewster (Showtime’s “Billions”), Yonatan Gebeyehu (“Merchant of Venice” with TFANA), Thijs Hogenboom, Keshav Moodliar (“Queen” with Long Wharf/NAATCO) and Luis Vega (“The Underlying Chris” at Second Stage).

The play will run from May 6 through May 27 at the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park; tickets are free, and more information can be found on Moliere in the Park’s website.

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COUNCIL TO VOTE ON BANNING GUINEA PIG SALES

CITYWIDE — The City Council is set to vote on legislation that would ban the sales of guinea pigs in pet shops, on pain of a $500 fine and the potential loss of pet shop licenses. Animal lovers and activists have backed the bill, which would still allow guinea pig adoptions from shelters, citing a spike in guinea pig abandonment by erstwhile pandemic pet owners as proof of its necessity.

The vote will take place on Tuesday at a general meeting of the Council at City Hall, beginning at 1:30 p.m.; the meeting will be livestreamed to the public on the Council’s official city website.

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POLICE SEARCH FOR CROOKS IN CITIBANK PICKPOCKET SCAM

CITYWIDE — Police are warning the public to keep their wallets safe as they hunt for the crooks behind a citywide robbery spree targeting Citibank customers. On at least 15 different occasions, victims reported being approached in Citibank locations by unknown individuals and asked if they had dropped money, only to have their debit cards swapped out as the victims checked themselves for the money, with the thefts only being discovered after the victims’ bank accounts were drained of thousands of dollars. Police believe that the robbers may be observing customers as they use ATMs in order to learn their PIN numbers, and say that they are currently unsure whether the incidents always involve the same people.

Surveillance footage from some of the incidents. Do you recognize these people? All tips submitted to police are strictly confidential.

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NYC BAR ISSUES STATEMENT ON TRUMP ARREST UNREST

CITYWIDE — The New York City Bar Association on Monday issued a statement condemning the conduct of former President Trump in relation to his arrest last week on charges of falsifying business records in order to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. The bar affirmed that the former president has the right to express himself, but condemned Trump’s own inflammatory rhetoric and that of his supporters, called on legal professionals to speak out against threats and violent language, and called for enhanced security measures for those involved in the Trump case as well as for anyone facing threats, in what the bar sees as “a stress test of the rule of law in America.”

“We cannot wait to consistently and forcefully express to each other, our colleagues, and our elected representatives our absolute intolerance for violence, or the incitement of it, against the public servants whose well-being is essential for the independence of the judiciary and the fair administration of justice. That line has surely been crossed,” wrote bar association president Susan J. Kohlmann.

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THE CITY: BROOKLYN KIDS WHO SAY EX-COP MENACED THEM SPEAK OUT ON HOT 97

BROOKLYN – Three Flatbush boys who claim that a retired NYPD officer harassed them with a gun took to the local radio show Hot 97 on April 7 to explain their side of the story. The incident occurred in November 2021, and video footage from The City shows the three boys, Kyi-el, now 15, his 13-year-old brother Brendan, and their 15-year-old cousin Kawun speaking to police for 25 minutes about the retired officer, Kruythoff Forrester, who allegedly chased the kids several blocks because they threw a basketball that struck a camera on the outside of his home. While Forrester was being arrested, he told fellow officers to contact NYPD Chief of Community Affairs Jeffery Maddrey, who was his commanding officer when Forrester was based at the 73rd precinct. The NYPD has stated that they performed an ‘investigation’ and could not corroborate if Forrester had drawn his gun. Forrester’s arrest was voided after just 90 minutes.

“It was the worst time of my life,” Kyi-el told Hot 97 posted online late Thursday. The boys were soft-spoken and gave very brief responses during the interview. “I thought I wouldn’t make it home to my mom. I was scared for my life.”

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VET HOSPITAL COMING TO MONTAGUE

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — National vet hospital chain GoodVets is moving into the commercial space on the corner of Montague and Henry streets, formerly occupied by the Ann Taylor Loft store, reports the Brooklyn Heights Blog. The new vet is expected to open in roughly one year, according to BHB’s source, joining the Brooklyn Heights Veterinary Hospital on Cranberry St. and the Brooklyn Heights Veterinary Group on Columbia Place in offering medical care to the area’s furry residents.

The Loft store was one of many businesses claimed by the pandemic, a trend that has troubled the Montague Street BID as it seeks to keep Brooklyn Heights’ historic shopping street afloat.

The location of the future vet hospital. Photo by C. Scales for Brooklyn Heights Blog.

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GOVERNOR NOMINATES HON. ROWAN WILSON AS STATE’S CHIEF JUDGE

ALBANY AND BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Governor Kathy Hochul today nominated the Honorable Rowan D. Wilson, who has served as Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals for the past six years, to serve as Chief Judge, filling the vacancy created last summer that was left unfilled after state legislature rejected her first nominee. He would become New York’s first Black Chief Judge. Moreover, Gov. Hochul expressed her strong support for Judge Wilson’s recommendation of Justice Joseph Zayas, currently in the Appellate Division/Second Department in Brooklyn, to serve as Chief Administrative Judge, the role of which has oversight in court operations, including a budget of more than $3 billion.

The Governor also intends to nominate Caitlin J. Halligan, who has served as New York State Solicitor General and General Counsel to the New York County District Attorney to fill Judge Wilson’s vacancy as Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals.

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COUNCIL TO HOLD MEETING ON TRUCK ROUTE REDESIGN

CIVIC CENTER — The City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is set to hold an oversight hearing on truck routes on Monday afternoon. The committee will consider legislation that would require the DOT to redesign the city’s truck route network to improve safety, reduce pollution and miles traveled, as well as legislation requiring citywide designated tractor trailer parking and feasibility studies on reducing truck traffic through redesigning infrastructure, and a resolution calling on the state to fully fund the MTA in this year’s budget.

The hearing will take place in the Council Chamber at City Hall in Manhattan at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 10, and will be livestreamed for the public on the council’s city webpage.

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REYNOSO TO HOLD PANEL ON BLACK MATERNITY CARE

CROWN HEIGHTS — In celebration of Black Maternal Health Week, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s Maternal Health Taskforce is holding a panel discussion on joy and healing during and after pregnancy. Moderated by Keisha Goode, professor of sociology and expert on historical complexities of midwifery, the panel will include a Black mother, nurse midwife, and reproductive health specialist and full-spectrum doula; and will cover topics ranging from personal maternity experiences to building care teams and overcoming pregnancy and postpartum challenges.

The panel will take place on Thursday, April 13, at 6 p.m. at the Weeksville Heritage Center; moms, parents and interested people can RSVP for the event online.

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ADAMS VOWS TO FIGHT BAN ON ABORTION DRUG

CITYWIDE — Mayor Eric Adams and his administration on Friday vowed to help fight a federal court ruling in a Texas lawsuit that will make the prescription of the abortion drug Mifepristone illegal nationwide in one week, including in NYC, unless a higher court reverses that decision. The mayor’s office in a press statement said that Mifepristone, used in combination with the drug Misoprostol, has been a safe and common option for people managing an abortion or miscarriage in the United States for more than 20 years, and that regardless of the ultimate outcome of this lawsuit, the city will continue to make medication abortion accessible by shifting to a Misoprostol-only treatment regimen to comply with the law.

“In the nearly 10 months following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, millions of women have seen their right to a safe, legal abortion restricted and, in some cases, completely taken away. We knew then that the forces pushing to control women’s bodies wouldn’t stop there, and today’s decision by a Texas court is yet another assault on women’s rights, potentially cutting off access to health care for millions more. Today, we recommit ourselves to staying vigilant, focused, and continue pressing forward in the fight for reproductive rights,” wrote First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright on Friday.

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CROWN HEIGHTS MAN HELD ON BAIL FOR SEX TRAFFICKING IN 27-COUNT INDICTMENT

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A Crown Heights man has been charged with sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, assault and other charges involving a teenager and a 40-year-old woman. The defendant, whom District Attorney Eric Gonzalez identified as 39-year-old Samuel Tucker and who was arraigned on April 7 before Brooklyn State Supreme Court Justice E. Niki Warin on a 27-count indictment, was held on bail and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to the investigation, Tucker enticed the 19-year-old victim — who was homeless and living in a Brownsville shelter — with cash and drugs if she engaged in prostitution for him. He later started beating her.

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POLICE SEEK MAN IN WYCKOFF KNIFE ATTACKS

BOERUM HILL — Police are urgently searching for Joevani Vale, 26, after Vale allegedly slashed a 31-year-old woman in her thigh in Boerum Hill on Saturday afternoon, before fatally stabbing 83-year-old Ramon Cintron in the neck in a different building an hour later. Vale is described as a white Hispanic man, with brown eyes and brown hair, and is around 5’8″ tall and 150 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782); the public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

Joevani Vale, suspected perpetrator of the stabbings.

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FLATBUSH WOMAN MISSING IN CROWN HEIGHTS

FLATBUSH — Police are searching for a missing Flatbush woman Cisilyn Gentles, 67, last seen on the afternoon of Friday, April 7, at her son’s residence in Crown Heights. She is described as being 5’4″ tall, 166 pounds, medium build, with a medium complexion, brown eyes and black and gray hair, and was last seen wearing a black hat, glasses, black shirt, gray pants and white sneakers, and carrying a white plastic bag.

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HANIF HOLDS CANNABIS CONVERSATION

CITYWIDE — Brooklyn Councilmember Shahana Hanif is holding a Zoom “Candid Cannabis Conversation” event this week in response to the state’s recent partial victory in court that will see Brooklyn entrepreneurs at last granted licenses to open recreational marijuana dispensaries. The panel will feature a slate of activists and experts, including the city’s Cannabis Czar Dasheeda Dawson, discussing the state of legalization in New York, as well as the gray market, with Hanif and the community.

The Zoom meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:30 p.m.; attendees are required to register beforehand in order to access the meeting.

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MISSING TEEN IN BROWNSVILLE

BROWNSVILLE — Police are asking the public for help in locating missing teen Jevon Fraser, 14, last seen leaving his Brownsville residence on foot Monday, April 3, shortly after midnight. He is described as being 5’8″ tall, weighing 160 pounds, having brown eyes and black hair, and was last seen wearing a black coat, blue sweatpants and black sneakers.

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GANG MEMBER ARRESTED FOR REVENGE ATTEMPT AFTER RAPPER SHOT

CROWN HEIGHTS — Gang member Taj Zeigler, 22, was arrested on Friday for allegedly attempting to shoot another man in January of this year, reports the Daily News, as a revenge attack motivated by the near-fatal shooting of fellow gang member and rapper Nas Blixky — now retired from his rap career — last year. Police identified Ziegler by comparing an outfit caught on security cameras to clothes in his social media posts, according to the News, and the 6 Treys/Folk Nation gang member has been charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition.

It is unclear whether the person Ziegler allegedly attempted to shoot is responsible for Nas Blixky’s shooting, according to police, who say the situation is still under investigation.