What’s News, Breaking: Friday, April 21, 2023

April 21, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NYC SUBWAYS SET RIDERSHIP RECORD ON APRIL 20,
WITH JUST OVER FOUR MILLION RIDERS

CITYWIDE — The New York City subway system recorded 4,002,961 paid rides on Thursday, April 20, for the first time since before the pandemic lockdowns were implemented on March 15, 2020. Making the announcement on Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA CEO Janno Lieber reported that the previous record for the subway carrying more than four million riders was on March 12, 2020 — also a Thursday — when 4.1 million New Yorkers rode the system.

New York City subway OMNY, the MTA’s contactless fare payment system, also set a single-day subway record with 1,699,914 taps, accounting for 42.5% of all paid rides.

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GODZILLA, THE RESCUED PROSPECT PARK LAKE ALLIGATOR, DIES

PROSPECT PARK —Sad news just before Earth Day: Godzilla, the Prospect Park Lake alligator, has died, reports Gothamist. Urban Rangers had rescued the female reptile, whose previous owner had dumped her in the frigid-water lake in February; Godzilla was then transferred up to the Bronx Zoo for treatment.

Found in a lethargic state, Godzilla was diagnosed with stomach ulcers that were blamed on a bathtub stopper she had swallowed. Gothamist reported on April 21 that the alligator had died the previous Sunday.

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NADLER AND GOLDMAN PUSH FOR CONGESTION PRICING; MALLIOTAKIS SAYS IT CREATES DOUBLE-TOLLS FOR SOME

WESTERN BROOKLYN/BAY RIDGE — Three members of the Brooklyn Congressional delegation find themselves on opposite sides of the congestion pricing issue; with Reps. Dan Goldman (D-10/western Brooklyn) and Jerrold Nadler (D-12/formerly including Brooklyn) urging its immediate implementation, but not Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11). Reps. Goldman and Nadler on Friday led transportation and environmental advocates in a press conference outside the Lincoln Tunnel urging the immediate implementation of New York’s Central Business District (CBD) Tolling Program, the formal name for “congestion pricing,” and also penned an Op Ed that was published in the Daily News.

However, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights and Staten Island — the nearest neighborhoods affected by the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge tolls — called the Goldman/Nadler plan “elitist,” and said that “congestion pricing… would charge commuters an additional $23 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, totaling more than $5,000 per year and potentially more for Staten Islanders who already pay a toll to connect to the rest of the city.”

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POLITICS AND THE BODY: PRATT OPENS PART II
OF ITS MASTER OF FINE ARTS THESIS EXHIBITION

FORT GREENE/CLINTON HILL — Pratt Institute opens Part II of its MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition on Monday, April 24, with a special event from 6 to 8 p.m. Titled “MAKING PLACE: Politics and the Body,” the exhibit is the second part of the master’s thesis project that ran from March 27 to April 7 and was titled “MAKING PLACE: Histories and Heritage.”

The show will remain on view through May 5 at the Pfizer Building (630 Flushing Avenue/7th Floor) in Brooklyn. The artists are profiled in the MFA Fine Arts 2023 Publication.

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OVENLY CLOSES ALL BUT TWO LOCATIONS,
AND FOCUSES ON COBBLE HILL, GREENPOINT

GREENPOINT AND COBBLE HILL — Ovenly, the bakery chain established in 2010, has closed all but two of its locations, reports the culinary news website EATER NEW YORK. The Park Slope and Williamsburg locations closed at the end of last month so the owners could focus on Ovenly’s Greenpoint Av. location as well as its Cobble Hill store on Court St.

Ovenly carries a variety of baked goods, including gluten free selections like Pistachio Cardamom Bread, and also caters events, according to the Cobble Hill location’s website.

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BLOOM AGAIN BROOKLYN CREATES BOUQUETS FOR
NURSING CARE RESIDENTS, HOMEBOUND SENIORS

COBBLE HILL — Bloom Again Brooklyn was one of more than 130 volunteer opportunities that New York Cares organized this week as part of a campaign that engaged over one thousand volunteers to serve New Yorkers in need across all five boroughs. Celebrating National Volunteer Week, New York Cares helpers on Wednesday, April 19, refurbished donated flowers, arranged flowers, and prepared bouquets, which were distributed to home-bound seniors and local nursing home residents in Brooklyn.

On site at Christ Church-Cobble Hill, the Bloom Again Brooklyn volunteers helped from initial setup to clean up as part of the observance — and year-round — in which New Yorkers dedicate time to volunteer projects addressing the city’s greatest needs, in order to create meaningful change in local communities.

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TASK FORCE PRAISES MAYOR ADAMS FOR INCLUDING
CLIMATE EDUCATION IN REVISED PLANYC

CITYWIDE — The Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF), a coalition of more than 100 teachers, community educators, students and environmental groups advocating for interdisciplinary climate education and professional learning opportunities in New York’s K-12 schools, gave New York City Mayor Eric Adams high marks for including this in PlaNYC, the city’s newly revised strategic plan that was announced on Thursday, April 20. The city’s Green Economy goal is to “accelerate an equitable green economy transition by advancing climate education, work, and entrepreneurship opportunities,” including the launch of new Career Connected Learning Programs for public school students dedicated to green job training and placement.”

The CRETF has supported this initiative, along with the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Education, by making recommendations for incorporating age-appropriate climate education throughout all subjects and grade levels to ensure that the city’s children graduate with climate literacy.

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UPDATED PLANS FOR GREENPOINT LANDING OPEN SPACE
PRESENTED DURING COMMUNITY BOARD 1 HEARING

GREENPOINT — New open space, including picnic nooks, a garden and a meadow walk, are just some of the aspects of the plan for Greenpoint Landing, according to information that the developers presented at the Brooklyn Community Board 1 hearing on Monday, April 17. Greenpoint Landing is a 22-acre site situated along a half-mile of East River waterfront that Greenpoint Landing Developers is master-planning on Zoning Lot 5C-2 in northern Brooklyn. Part of this updated open space plan will incorporate the Green Street Pier — an almost 500-foot-long accessible pier that extends out to the water and includes synthetic turf areas, lounge chairs, shade structures and viewing steps.

In total, the new plans call for nearly 96,000 square feet of waterfront public access area — more than 20% of what was required by the city.

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BREAKFAST EATERY LITTLE EGG OPENS
AT BORDER OF TWO NEIGHBORHOODS

WASHINGTON AVENUE — The beloved Williamsburg restaurant, Egg, which closed during the pandemic, has a new life as Little Egg, which opened on Friday, April 21, closer to Downtown Brooklyn. Nestled at 657 Washington Avenue and straddling both Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, Little Egg, whose owner is the longtime chef of Egg, offers traditional favorites plus some new inventions, according to EATER New York. Little Egg is open Fridays through Mondays, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed Tuesdays through Thursdays, according to the restaurant’s website.

Little Egg, which attracted a crowd just two hours after its opening, has brought in as its pastry chef Tanya Bush, co-founder of the independent publication Cake Zine.

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CITY DEP CLERK ARRESTED FOR
HARASSING CALLS TO CUSTOMERS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Water customers in Brooklyn can breathe easier now with the arrest of a Department of Environment Protection employee who harassed and threatened callers with questions about their bill. Lamont Jackson, 50, a clerk in the DEP’s Downtown Brooklyn office, allegedly used an anonymous number twice during 2022 to phone back people who called his desk about their bills — yelling profanities at them, and in one case threatening to shoot the person, according to a Department of Investigation report.

Arraigned in Kings County Criminal Court on Thursday, April 20, Jackson is charged with three counts of aggravated harassment as well as drug possession and is due back in court on June 12.

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CITY WARNS AGAINST WINDOW FALLS AS SPRING COMES

CITYWIDE — As the weather gets warmer, city officials are urging all building owners, homeowners and tenants to take action to prevent window falls by securely installing bars and window guards in the apartments of families with children. The warning comes after two children separately fell out of windows in city apartments on Sunday, while three kids fell out of windows in 2022 — all incidents that would have been preventable with proper safety precautions, the city says.

In New York City, owners of buildings with three or more residential units are required to install approved window guards or limiting devices in the windows of any apartment where a child 10 years old or younger lives or spends time, and property owners must also install window guards if a tenant requests them, even if there are no children in the apartment; more information about the city’s window safety rules can be found on the Health Department’s official website.

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CON ED CLEAN ENERGY HUB PROJECT APPROVED BY STATE

WILLIAMSBURG — The state Public Service Commission on Thursday approved the construction of an $810 million transmission substation to replace the decommissioned gas turbines at Con Ed’s Brooklyn waterfront site, intended to address local electric reliability needs and serve as a future hub for new clean-energy resources. The commission stated that increased power demand from electric car chargers and building electrification, in conjunction with the state’s target for a zero-emission grid by 2040, means that statewide electric power generation capacity must double in that time frame, while new green energy technologies like wind farms will require upgraded infrastructure to connect those new power sources to the electric grid.

“For new wind projects set to be built in the New York Bight, an area of ocean about 150 miles off the coast of Long Island and New Jersey, the competition for electric interconnection points is stiff. The few open interconnection points available require significant upgrades to accommodate power from wind turbines, and those upgrades could take years to build. Con Edison’s Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub stands alone as a unique make-ready option that will be the first interconnection point in the area that will be ready to accept offshore wind even before the turbines are completed,” said the power utility on the project’s webpage.

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ESPOSITO AND SONS PORK STORE BUILDING SELLS FOR $3.3M

CARROLL GARDENS — The building housing the century-old Esposito and Sons Jersey Pork Store, which closed earlier this month following the retirement of the third generation of Espositos to run the business, was sold in March by the Espositos to a private owner for $3.3 million, reports the New York Post. The building features several floors of residential apartments above the retail space that formerly housed the shop, whose closure marked the end of an era for the many Carroll Gardens residents who came to make farewell purchases on the store’s final day, reminiscing about the neighborhood’s past as an Italian-American community.

The Post also uncovered the fate of the butcher’s iconic pig statue — FDNY Engine 202’s firefighters adopted it for their Red Hook firehouse.

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MAN STABBED AT BORO HALL STATION

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A man was stabbed in the arm on the 4 train platform at Borough Hall station early Thursday morning after an argument, say police, and was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The New York Post reports that both the victim and the suspect, who fled the station after the stabbing, are men in their late 20s who do not appear to have known each other previously, and that it is unknown what sparked the confrontation.

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 CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

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MTA COMMITS TO 85% EMISSIONS SLASH BY 2040

CITYWIDE — The MTA on Thursday committed to reducing the emissions from its trains, buses and facilities by at least 85% by 2040, an ambitious target that aids New York’s efforts to fight climate change. Steps the authority intends to take include the conversion of all buses to electric and sustainable fuel sources, upgrading stations and facilities by replacing older systems with newer energy-efficient ones as well as installing solar panels, and deploying new energy management technologies such as remote-controlled rail heaters to reduce energy use across the network.

The MTA also released a new analysis showing that its public transit allows New Yorkers to avoid emitting 20 million metric tons of carbon annually by reducing car usage — the equivalent of the amount of carbon that would be absorbed by a forest greater than the size of the state of Indiana, or of keeping 4.5 million cars off the road.

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SAFETY WALK ON ATLANTIC AFTER DRUNK DRIVER KILLS WOMAN

COBBLE HILL — The Cobble Hill Association is hosting a pedestrian safety rally and march next week with elected officials and community leaders down Atlantic Avenue following a drunk driving incident on Sunday that claimed the life of Brooklynite Katie Harris while crossing Atlantic at Clinton Street — an intersection where four pedestrians have been killed in the last ten years. The association, along with several other neighborhood associations, as well as councilmembers Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, sent a letter on Tuesday to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez demanding immediate pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures on Atlantic, and praising his support of legislation that would lower blood alcohol limits statewide.

The walk will start at noon on Saturday, April 29, from Atlantic Ave. and Furman Street and finish at Atlantic Ave. and Flatbush.

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CUNY PARTNERS WITH ECO GROUPS ON CLIMATE JUSTICE CENTER

CITYWIDE — The NYC Environmental Justice Alliance on Thursday announced a partnership with CUNY to establish the NYC Climate Justice Hub, funded by a $4 million grant from the Waverly Street Foundation, which will support efforts by communities of color, disproportionately burdened by climate hazards, to fight for healthy foods and environments. Over the next two years, CUNY faculty and students will work with the EJA and neighborhood organizations through classes on local climate issues, a summer leadership academy, a fellowship program, public programming and interdisciplinary research teams; efforts that will help prepare students for professions in the climate sector and advance equitable climate solutions for marginalized and low-income communities.

The groups, including Bed-Stuy’s Brooklyn Movement Center, Williamsburg’s El Puente and Sunset Park’s UPROSE, will also work with CUNY to assess local climate needs, reduce vulnerabilities and burdens, and support priority environmental policy campaigns.

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MISSING TEEN IN BROWNSVILLE

BROWNSVILLE — Police are asking the public for assistance in locating missing teen Daunte Bunn, last seen on the afternoon of Saturday, April 15, inside his Brownsville home. He is described as being approximately 6’5” tall and 200 pounds, with a medium complexion, medium build and black hair.

Have you seen this boy? All tips given to police are strictly confidential.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO POINTED GUN AT WOMAN ON SUBWAY

EAST NEW YORK — Police are searching for a man who shortly after midnight on Wednesday, April 19, pointed a firearm while smiling and laughing at a 32-year-old female aboard a southbound A train at the Pitkin Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue subway stations, before fleeing the train at Van Siclen. The unknown man is described as being approximately 30 to 35 years of age with a medium build and was last seen wearing a black jacket, white hoodie sweatshirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and carrying a black backpack.

The man suspected of threatening a woman with a firearm on the A train. All tips submitted to police are strictly confidential.

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LEONARD BERNSTEIN REMEMBERED: INTERVIEW WITH HIS DAUGHTER NINA

The great and incomparable musician Leonard Bernstein, who created “West Side Story” among other classics, is remembered by his daughter Nina Bernstein-Simmons in an interview on brooklyneagle.com. His many close friendships, including that of composer Aaron Copland, who was born and Brooklyn and was son of the canter at Kane Street Synagogue, took him all over the world and kept him close to many international celebrities. His daughter Nina saw it all.

Bernstein is famously buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, creating his final and most definitive link to Brooklyn. Recently, his children were honored with the DeWitt Clinton Award at an annual gala of the Green-Wood Foundation.

Composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland. Photograph by Heinz Weissenstein (Whitestone Photo). Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

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CONEY ISLAND RESIDENTS SOUND OFF ABOUT NEW PROPOSED CASINO PLAN

Charlene Davis, a 40-year Coney Island resident, said that her neighborhood is already overcrowded, and she is also afraid that the crime will increase. Photo: Brooklyn Eagle.

CONEY ISLAND — Coney Island residents verbally clashed with developers in a heated and passionate exchange regarding the proposed “Coney” Casino and Entertainment Resort, where it seemed that the overwhelming majority of locals vehemently opposed the idea. Tempers flared and emotions ran high at the community forum held at Gargiulo’s in Coney Island this past Wednesday evening. Residents voiced their concerns, which included crime and overcrowding, among other “as yet unforeseen things.”

This was a stark contrast to a recent press release, courtesy of “The Coney,” the partnership group putting together the bid. The group is composed of Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings, Chickasaw Nation and Legends Hospitality Group. The release said that a significant number of community members are vastly in favor of a casino in their backyard. For more details on the meeting, click here.

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SPAYATHON WEEKENDS AIM TO PREVENT PROLIFERATION OF HOMELESS CATS IN CITY

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS AND PARK SLOPE — Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition (BBAWC), the nonprofit animal rescue that operates the rescue refuge Brooklyn Cat Café, is sponsoring two Spayathon weekends offering free spay/neuter services for up to 400 rescued and feral cats. The free services, made possible through a generous grant from the Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation, will include a brief veterinary exam, rabies vaccine, FVRCP vaccine, flea and worm treatment, and microchip, and will be available at the BBAWC Rescue Clinic surgery locations at Brooklyn Cat Cafe and Park Slope Veterinary Center on the weekends of May 6-7 and June 2-4.

“If you want to stop the proliferation of homeless cats on the streets of New York City, then small rescues need institutional and financial support, including access to low-cost spay/neuter services,” said Anne Levin, Executive Director of Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition and Brooklyn Cat Café, a community space where felines can adopt the human of their choice.

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HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS CHARGED IN SCHEMES: FAKE VACCINE CARDS, LOAN APPLICATIONS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Instead of helping their patients stay well, five health care professionals have been charged in Brooklyn federal court for their participation in separate schemes that fraudulently distributed more than 2,600 fake COVID-19 vaccination records cards, and defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program of more than $1.7 million. The five, including two certified nurse midwives, one licensed practical nurse and two health care business owners, have been charged with fraudulently enrolling an Albany-based midwifery company, Sage-Femme Midwifery PLLC, as COVID-19 vaccination sites, creating fake vaccination cards and claiming to have administered the dosages to minors who were ineligible due to age — and not even physically present in the U.S. on the recorded date of vaccination.

The charges filed in federal court in Brooklyn, NY, are part of a nationwide COVID-19 enforcement action led by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

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COMMUNITY HEALTH AND RESOURCE FAIR OFFERS TESTING,
VACCINES AND OTHER SERVICES

CONEY ISLAND AND BRIGHTON BEACH — Residents of southern Brooklyn, including Brighton Beach and Coney Island, will be treated to a Community Health And Resource Fair this Sunday, April 23, thanks to a partnership between the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island and The Shorefront Jewish Community Council. The fair, running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will offer tuberculosis and COVID-19 testing, vaccines, health insurance enrollment, mammogram services (registration required via phone: 718-449-5000 x 2406); social services, emergency food pantry, and blood pressure screening. The venue is 128 Brighton Beach Avenue, 5th Floor,

Gift cards of $25 will be distributed to all participants who get vaccinated at Sunday’s event.

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MAIMONIDES MIDWOOD COMMUNITY HOSPITAL CUTS RIBBON ON NEW INFUSION CENTER

MIDWOOD/FLATBUSH — Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (MMCH) officially cut the ribbon this week on a 17-chair infusion center and opened a new state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology area. The advancements are part of a transformation effort underway since 2018, when MMCH joined the Maimonides Health system. The Infusion Center, in partnership with Hematology Oncology Associates of Brooklyn, eliminates the need for patients to travel to other locations for treatment, and spans two floors and patient care areas, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that create a bright, airy environment for infusion therapy, and plush recliners and televisions for patients receiving treatment for cancer, multiple sclerosis, kidney disease, and anemia, among other conditions.

The transformation began with the addition of cutting-edge technologies in the emergency department and will continue with the planned addition of a cardiac catheterization suite in 2024.

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NYU TANDON RESEARCHER DEVELOPS GROUNDBREAKING PROTEIN TO HALT OSTEOARTHRITIS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Osteoporosis is meeting its foe in Jin Kim Montclare, Ph.D., a professor in NYU Tandon’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering who “has found both the molecular vehicle and therapeutic payload for delivering pharmacologic treatment to affected joints, halting post-traumatic osteoarthritis onset and progression,” according to New York University’s weekly e-magazine. She and investigators from NYU Grossman School of Medicine have developed a compound that enables them to reach and remain in affected joint spaces, and remain effective in suppressing inflammation and even “induce cartilage regeneration by providing an optimal biomechanical and biochemical environment.”

Dr. Montclare conducts research specializing in “engineering proteins to mimic nature and, in some cases, work better than nature. She works to customize artificial proteins with the aim of targeting human disorders, drug delivery and tissue regeneration as well as create nanomaterials for electronics,” according to her bio on the NYU Tandon website.

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HOUSE LEADER, REP. YVETTE CLARKE PARTAKE IN ALLIANCE-BUILDING MEETINGS IN GHANA AND ISRAEL

BROOKLYN, GHANA AND ISRAEL — Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries is steering a Congressional delegation (CODEL) to Ghana and Israel, his first delegation in this role. They will convene high-level meetings with this key U.S. ally on advancing shared interests and building on Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit. The delegates, which includes Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-9), will have the chance to visit Ghanaian sites related to the transatlantic slave trade, before traveling to Israel to commemorate that nation’s 75th anniversary and participating in the recognition of Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day.

A CODEL (blended abbreviation) refers to a government-paid Congressional delegation to places or events of legislative interest.

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TREATING ARTHRITIS FORMS THROUGH DOT IMAGING IS FOCUS OF RESEARCH BY NYU TANDON PROFESSORS

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Professor Andreas Hielscher of NYU Tandon is also working on innovations to treat osteoarthritis. He is monitoring Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus Arthritis using optical tomography — specifically, DOT imaging — to track the way the disease progresses, and offers key insights into more potential treatments.

Professor Hielscher leads the recently established Department of Biomedical Engineering and directs research in his Clinical Biophotonics Laboratory with the mission of establishing optical tomography as a viable biomedical imaging modality.

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COMMUNITY BOARD 2 COMMITTEE WILL HEAR PRESENTATION ON YOUTH SERVICES COORDINATION PROJECT

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN —The Youth Services Coordination Project will be a central agenda item at next Wednesday’s meeting of Community Board 2’s Youth, Education & Cultural Affairs Committee, to be convened via Zoom, April 26. Funded through the NYC Dept. of Youth & Community Development, The Youth Services Coordination Project will be a key coordinating mechanism for mentorship, crisis intervention and city services to 100 youths, ages 12-15 and 16-19 years old, in selected housing projects within Brooklyn Community Board 2.

The Whitman and Farragut public housing developments are included in this project.

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TEENS PLAN URBAN ART PARTY

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The Brooklyn Public Library’s Youth Council is producing the Urban Art Jamm this weekend, a party for teens and by teens that will feature music, food, crafts and more. This year’s theme is “Library After Dark,” and participants can enjoy a DIY photobooth, cornhole and board games, tote bag decorating, slime making, personal book recommendations and a cooking demonstration; while teen bands Bombe de Terre and Cellarhead will perform live.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 22, at BPL’s central branch in Grand Army Plaza from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; teens can get a gift by bringing unopened period products to support BPL’s Cycle Alliance and fight period poverty in Brooklyn.