What’s News, Breaking: Friday, August 11, 2023

August 11, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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RETIREES’ LEADER CALLS MAYOR, CITY
‘ON WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY’ OVER HEALTH PLAN

CITYWIDE — ARGUMENT AND REBUTTAL CONTINUED ON FRIDAY OVER THE CITY’S INSISTENCE ON SWITCHING municipal retirees to a privately-managed Medicare Advantage plan by Aetna, even after Supreme Court in Manhattan ruled against the city on a permanent injunction. Mayor Adams on Friday pledged to appeal Justice Lyle E. Frank’s ruling, repeating his claims that the Aetna plan would save $600 million and improve upon the current plan. Public retirees spokeswoman Marianne Pizzitola had an immediate rebuttal to the mayor, asserting that “Aetna Dis-Advantage plan is: NOT Medicare, NOT a savings, and NOT an improvement to our current plan as even Congress knows that!”

Pizzitola added, “The Court repeatedly found the City is on the wrong side of history, breaking several laws to implement this scheme which would harm the very people who built this City.”

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LUCHESE BOSS MOTION FOR RELEASE DENIED

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE EDNY ON THURSDAY DENIED THE REQUEST OF NOTORIOUS LUCHESE FAMILY MAFIA BOSS Vittorio Amuso for compassionate release from prison after spending 31 years of a life sentence behind bars for committing a broad variety of crimes, including the ordering of numerous gory murders. Amuso is 88 years old, uses a wheelchair and suffers from a variety of medical conditions, but the court found that there were no grounds on which to grant his request, because the Bureau of Prisons was determined to be adequately managing his care and he has no terminal illnesses.

The court also considered testimony from a former Luchese member that Amuso was still involved in Luchese family affairs as late as 2017, when he allegedly helped execute a leadership change from his jail cell — a charge that Amuso denied — but ultimately determined that whether the allegation was true or not, Amuso still would not meet compassionate release standards.

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WINGATE PARK CONCERT DRAWS FANS FOR NIGHT OF MUSIC

CROWN HEIGHTS — THE ANNUAL WINGATE PARK CONCERT, A BROOKLYN TRADITION since the 1970s, went off without a hitch on Tuesday, reports News 12, as performers like two-time-Grammy-winning reggae band Morgan Heritage, R&B singer Leela James and jazz sax player Lakecia Benjamin kept the crowd dancing late into the night. Brooklyn BP Antonio Reynoso hosted the event for the second year, having made a commitment to bring the summer staple back after COVID restrictions forced shutdowns of large public events citywide; last year’s concert drew more than 5,000 visitors, with this year’s attendance expected to have been even higher.

“It’s not summer in Brooklyn without the Wingate Park concert! Thank you to the Brooklynites who showed out to safely enjoy a night full of funk, hip hop, reggae, and R&B,” wrote the Borough President in a press statement celebrating the night’s success.

Leela James performs at Wingate Park on Wednesday night. Photo: Jordi Lakeem-Foster

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MISSING TEEN IN CONEY ISLAND

CONEY ISLAND — POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR MISSING GIRL SHEKYNAH TAYLOR, age 15, who was last seen on the night of Monday, Aug. 7, at her residence near the Coney Island YMCA. Shekynah is described as being 5’2” and 220 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair, and was last seen wearing all-black clothing.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of this missing person 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.

Missing teen Shekynah Taylor. All tips submitted to police are strictly confidential.

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VOTER SECURITY GROUP BOOS TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING MACHINES

STATEWIDE — ELECTION INTEGRITY GROUP COMMON CAUSE NY IS DISCOURAGING New York counties from purchasing new touch-screen electronic voting machines that it says pose significant cybersecurity risks, imploring officials to continue to use paper ballots, reports Spectrum News, in response to a vote last week from the state’s Board of Elections to certify the ExpressVoteXL for use. Common Cause in a press statement called paper ballots the “gold standard” in election security, saying the touch-screen terminals would be “entirely unnecessary to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.”

Thus far, NYC, along with Ulster, Onondaga and Chautauqua counties, have all pledged to stick with paper; Common Cause and other groups are now urging the state to reverse its decision and ban the ExpressVoteXL before the 2024 election — which is likely to be plagued by fraud allegations.

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POOLS PARTLY CLOSED DUE TO LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE

CITYWIDE — PUBLIC POOLS ACROSS THE CITY HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PARTIALLY CLOSE or restrict swimming due to a shortage of lifeguards, reports Gothamist; the city’s Parks Department is short by around 600 lifeguards this season, despite efforts to attract applicants by offering pay raises and bonuses. While the situation has improved since the beginning of the season, two-thirds of the city’s pools are still partially closed, with lanes and deep ends roped off to swimmers, Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool and Kosciuszko Pool among them.

Parks commissioner Sue Donahue said that the city has had trouble finding guards who can meet its strict performance standards, even with a reworked test that lowered the allowable minimum swimming speed.

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DISNEY SONGWRITERS SNAG UNITS AT NEW DUMBO LUXURY CONDO

DUMBO — HUSBAND-AND-WIFE TEAM KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ AND ROBERT LOPEZ, the Oscar-winning songwriters behind Disney hit “Let It Go” and others, recently purchased two units in the swanky new Olympia Dumbo tower, reports Mansion Global, for a total cost of $11.34 million. Both apartments are on the 24th floor and feature sweeping views of Brooklyn, Manhattan and New York Harbor; altogether, the units feature six bedrooms and 4,334 square feet of space, along with luxury amenities like custom maple cabinetry, a wet bar, a private terrace and a freestanding soaking tub.

The power couple might need two apartments just to store their awards: Anderson-Lopez holds two Oscars and two Grammys for her songwriting work, while Lopez has earned an astonishing two Oscars, three Tonys, three Grammys and four Emmys, making him the only person to have captured the coveted “EGOT” crown twice over.

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REP. GOLDMAN, FLORIDA COLLEAGUE URGE HEARING
ON REMOVAL OF DEMOCRATICALLY-ELECTED OFFICIAL

BROOKLYN AND CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN CONGRESSMAN DAN GOLDMAN (D-10) on Thursday, Aug. 10, joined his colleague from Florida in calling for an Oversight Committee Hearing on that state governor’s suspension of a democratically-elected official in order to appoint a political ally. Rep. Goldman joined Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08) in urging the Oversight Committee hearing after what they say was the unconstitutional and unjust suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell, who is Florida’s only democratically elected Black woman. The members are also urging Oversight Committee Chair James Comer to examine Gov. DeSantis’ abuse of political power.

The members wrote, “Given the seriousness of the current attack on democracy and freedom in Florida and other states, the urgent need for Congressional action has become more dire than ever. A full Committee hearing is essential to understand the pattern of these abuses of power and to identify the steps that must be taken to protect the rights and freedoms of Floridians and Americans living in other states witnessing similar attacks.”

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ICE CREAM PRODUCTS RECALLED
AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR LISTERIA

NATIONWIDE — A BROOKLYN-BASED ICE CREAM COMPANY IS RECALLING several flavors of its Soft Serve on-the-go products, after finding Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration reports. Real Kosher Ice Cream recalled the product after two people became ill in New York and Pennsylvania. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.

Consumers with questions may contact our Soft Serve on the Go team at 845-668-4346 or [email protected], Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Consumers should discontinue consumption of the pictured product immediately, dispose of it or return it to the store of purchase for full credit.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture

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STATE SUPREME COURT RULES FOR CITY RETIREES
IN PUBLIC MEDICARE PLAN COVERAGE FIGHT

CITYWIDE — THE NEW YORK CITY MUNICIPAL RETIREES HAVE WON their fight to keep their traditional Medicare plans in accordance with established city statutes, the State Supreme Court/New York County has ruled. Judge Lyle E. Frank, who last month issued a temporary injunction against Mayor Eric Adams, the NYC Department of Labor Relations and the Department of Education, blocking them from forcing the retirees from their current government Medicare plan into a private, for-profit Aetna-administered Medicare Advantage Plan. The Court ruled in favor of the retirees on multiple grounds, foremost among them that, since the 1960s, the City has, through statute and written and verbal promises, guaranteed every active and retired City worker that when they became elderly or disabled, they would be entitled to City-funded healthcare through a combination of Medicare plus Medicare “supplemental” insurance, which covers “gap” healthcare expenses. The retirees contended that the Aetna Medicare Advantage plan would have limited their access to their doctors and be subject to denials for medically-necessary treatment.

The law firm of Walden Macht & Haran LLP was counsel to the retirees. Marianne Pizzitola, leader and spokesperson for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said “NYC Retirees earned their right to Federal Medicare and we relied on the promise we would have this benefit through our lifetime.”

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COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI: PARKS NEED
TO IMPROVE THEIR ADA ACCESSIBILITY

STATEWIDE — PARKS ACROSS NEW YORK STATE WERE FOUND TO HAVE INACCESSIBLE entrances and restrooms, obstacles on access trails and paths, and limited parking for people with disabilities, reports the latest audit released on Friday, Aug. 11, from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. While the parks examined generally met the ADA’s minimum standards, auditors found they could be significantly improved to increase their accessibility. Auditors who reviewed 40 parks across New York State from Jan. 2018 to Oct. 2022, and examined 1,446 amenities such as restrooms, campsites, swimming areas, playgrounds, pavilions, elevators, boat launches and parking, found that 62% of them could be improved to enhance accessibility.

Among the suggested improvements were the correction of mislabeled ‘accessible’ signage, fixing rough or uneven access routes, increasing the number of wheelchair-accessible stalls in restrooms and increasing the number of accessible, clearly labeled parking spaces.

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ONE-THIRD OF TENANTS AT FLATBUSH GARDENS
FACE IMMEDIATE EVICTIONS, REPORTS GOTHAMIST

FLATBUSH — THE LANDLORD OF THE FLATBUSH GARDENS APARTMENT COMPLEX HAS FILED TO EVICT more than 800 tenants — more than a third of the households residing there, with that Flatbush neighborhood surging ahead of other parts of Brooklyn, reports Gothamist. City eviction data have revealed that city marshals have carried out 50 evictions in that complex alone thus far since the pandemic-era moratorium expired 19 months ago. Meanwhile, the tenants have had to cope with hazardous conditions, including broken door locks and roaches swarming their kitchens, as Gothamist reporters witnessed during a recent visit.

More than 10,000 families and individuals have been removed from their homes across the five boroughs since Jan. 2022.

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BK OFFICIALS: ‘HORRIFIC’ MCGUINNESS BLVD CRASH JUST THE LATEST

GREENPOINT — A HOST OF NORTH BROOKLYN OFFICIALS SAID THEY WERE DEVASTATED after hearing about another “horrific crash” on McGuinness Blvd., a major artery that cuts through Greenpoint. On Thursday, a reckless driver ran into a moped rider and several parked vehicles there, causing at least one critical injury. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, BP Antonio Reynoso, Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Councilmember Lincoln Restler said the 1.4-mile stretch which connects to the BQE “is an epicenter of traffic violence in our community, where we experience an average of one crash resulting in an injury every single week.” A beloved local teacher, Matthew Jensen, was killed in the same spot two years ago.

The officials demanded that DOT reinstate a safety redesign of the roadway which had been in the process for years until being abruptly halted by the Adams administration after pressure from a political donor, according to reports in The City and Streetsblog.

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KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE OFFERS PARENTING PROGRAMS TO YOUNG DADS

MANHATTAN BEACH — YOUNG FATHERS CAN RECEIVE TRAINING on responsible parenting and economic stability through a program that Kingsborough Community College is offering, according to a notice posted via Community Board 16. The Kingsborough Community College CUNY Fatherhood Academy, a free and comprehensive program, is geared toward unemployed and underemployed young fathers up to age 30 who can enter a high school equivalency track or a college preparation program. Kingsborough is currently recruiting for its Fall cohort, starting Tuesday, Aug. 29. Applications are online or by calling (718) 368-6784.

The high school equivalency exam preparation runs 3 days per week for 16 weeks. The college preparation program runs 3 days per week for 8 weeks.

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IN MEMORIAM: RHODA HENDRICK KARPATKIN, 93, LED AND EXPANDED CONSUMER REPORTS

BENSONHURST AND MIDWOOD — BROOKLYN-BORN RHODA HENDRICK KARPATKIN, who as the longtime publisher of Consumer Reports expanded readership and maintained its integrity, has died at age 93, reports the New York Times’ Sam Roberts. At the time she was selected as the Consumer Union’s first woman executive director, Ms. Karpatkin had served as counsel to the non-profit organization and was an attorney and civil rights advocate. The Consumer Union’s name was later changed to Consumer Reports, to match the magazine, and she became the publisher, reinforcing its trusted name in product testing and wise comparison shopping. Karpatkin more than doubled the subscription base — to 4.3 million — for the magazine, which does not accept paid advertising.

Rhoda Hendrick, before her 1951 marriage to Marvin Karpatkin, graduated from Lafayette High School in Bath Beach and then Brooklyn College, deciding on law rather than journalism as a career. Her leadership of Consumer Reports handed her accomplishments in both fields.

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NABBED: BROOKLYN MAN CHARGED IN HIT-AND-RUN OF BEAUTY SALON OWNER

EAST FLATBUSH — A CANARSIE MAN WITH A BAD DRIVING RECORD had a surprising reckoning in court this week when he was charged with the hit-and-run death of a local business owner, appearing in court for a different violation, reports the Daily News. Neal Small, whose appearance in court on Aug. 8 was to answer a violation of driving with a suspended license, got a surprise when he was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident on Nov. 5, 2022, after hitting 79-year-old Verna McKnight on Church Ave. and East 52nd St. in East Flatbush. Because he was within the speed limit, Neal was not originally charged with vehicular manslaughter, when booked last November at the 84th Precinct station house, the Daily News indicated.

Ms. McKnight, who owned a local beauty salon, had just exited her own car and was walking to a grocery store when Small ran her over.

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ASSEMBLYMEMBER COLTON INSPIRES YOUTH FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUPS

BATH BEACH TO DYKER HEIGHTS — Teams of area students in southern Brooklyn will participate in a neighborhood cleanup that Assemblymember William Colton is organizing for this Saturday, Aug. 12. Dozens of students will fan out from their starting point at 11 a.m. in front of 29 Bay 25th Street to spruce up portions of the 86th Street, Bay Parkway and 18th Avenue shopping strips, as well as the Belt Parkway underpass on Bay Parkway near the entrance to the Caesar’s Bay Shopping Center. Assemblymember Colton (D-47) and Susan Zhuang (who is currently on leave as his chief of staff) regularly organize neighborhood cleanups focusing on local commercial areas in his district (which encompasses Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and Gravesend), with another work day scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26.

“Helping to keep the neighborhood tidy is an important aspect of maintaining quality-of-life for residents,” Assemblyman Colton stresses. “We are very appreciative of the efforts of these dedicated young people who understand that civic participation is a key to having a strong community.”

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GOTHAMIST: CENTRAL BROOKLYN AN EVICTION ‘HOT SPOT’

CITYWIDE — AFTER A PANDEMIC-SPURRED MORATORIUM ON EVICTIONS ended last January, certain sections of the city are emerging as eviction hot spots, according to Gothamist, which has launched an online eviction tracker. City marshals have carried out more than 10,000 residential evictions so far this year, Gothamist says. Hotspots include Central Brooklyn, the central and South Bronx, and northern Staten Island.

In one census tract within Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, 35 households have been evicted this year amid hundreds of eviction filings. The vast majority of the filings come from a single landlord, the owner of the large Flatbush Gardens housing complex, according to city records.

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NYC LAUNCHES LEGAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS

CITYWIDE — THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS said Thursday that the city has launched the Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network, a $5 million investment to expand immigration legal assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers. This is in addition to the over $65 million the city already invests in legal services for immigrant New Yorkers. Services will be provided remotely, by CUNY students overseen by CUNY School of Law, and at community-based organizations citywide serving as Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Centers.

In Brooklyn, Navigation Centers include Coalicion Mexicana, 480 59th St, Suite 2L, Brooklyn, NY 11220; and Mixteca Organization, 245 23rd Street, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

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BIDEN TO SEND LIAISON FOR MIGRANT CRISIS

CITYWIDE — PRESIDENT BIDEN IS EXPECTED TO DISPATCH A TOP WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL to have a sit-down with Mayor Adams over the migrant crisis, reports the New York Post, after the mayor on Wednesday delivered a speech begging for federal aid and breaking down the high costs of the city’s efforts to house and care for the large influx of people, now projected to reach $4.7 billion by June 2024 and $12 billion by June 2025; the administration had previously promised to appoint a liaison during Adams’ trip to DC last month. While the state has helped with the costs thus far to the tune of $1 billion, the federal government has only granted a relatively paltry $142 million — an amount barely sufficient to cover just two weeks of the city’s current expenses of $9.8 million a day on migrant services.

The new estimates, calculated by the NYC Office of Budget and Management, reflect a trend of increasing immigration to the city, rather than predicting current steady levels as previous reports have.

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ADVISORY SCHOOL COUNCIL VOTES IN FAVOR OF ADMISSIONS TESTING

CITYWIDE — A PARENT COUNCIL ON HIGH SCHOOLS VOTED 7-1 on Wednesday, in favor of several recommendations supporting reintroducing tight admissions standards for some of the city’s selective high schools, reports Chalkbeat, another battle in the hot war over the public school system between advocates for integration and parent groups in favor of merit testing. The seven members who approved the advisory-only motion were all endorsed by controversial parent group PLACE, which advocates for screened admissions, in the most recent election, while the lone opposed member was appointed by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who favors overhauling admissions procedures in city schools to more accurately reflect the city’s racial makeup — a policy that opponents have cast as pitting white and Asian students against Black and Latino students, but that supporters say would allow more disadvantaged students to have access to quality education.

The meeting turned hostile, according to Chalkbeat, with parents and advocates on both sides of the conflict accusing their opponents’ favored policies of creating additional stress and unfairness for families and children.

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DINAPOLI: NYC FACES BUDGET-BUSTING ASYLUM, SHELTER COSTS

NEW YORK — NYS COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI’S OFFICE on Thursday detailed the risk of a budgetary shortfall of $4.8 billion in New York City’s budget in FY 2025, with unfunded expenses ballooning each year until reaching a potential $16.2 billion by FY 2027. While the city’s 2024 budget appears solid, potential risks include unfunded expenses for overtime, charter schools, MTA subsidies, class size and special needs mandates. The most significant budget gaps, however, are associated with asylum seekers and expanding the CityFHEPS rental assistance program, which together could cost $5.4 billion or more by FY 2027.

The influx in asylum seekers has grown beyond the city’s ability to manage without a comprehensive federal policy response including funding, DiNapoli said in the report, issued the same day a White House aide was scheduled to meet with Mayor Eric Adams to discuss the issue.

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PRISONER ON THE LAM AFTER ESCAPING FROM HOSPITAL WITH BEDSHEETS

MANHATTAN — A PRISONER THAT WAS RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital on 1st Avenue in the Lower East Side escaped from a fifth-floor window by rappelling down the edifice of the building with bedsheets, then hailing a cab and getting away. Yechun Chen, 44, identified by the New York Post and other press outlets, escaped shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and was still at large Thursday, a police spokesperson said. Chen was arrested on July 31 for criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was brought into care at Mount Sinai Beth Israel because of a cardiac issue last Friday. The police and correction departments were looking for him as of press Thursday, Aug. 10.

According to the New York Post and its sources from the Department of Correction, a nurse approached Chen to help him into the shower, when he appeared to be using tied-up bedsheets to rappel himself out the fifth-floor window and onto a roof at a lower level. He then used a ladder to get onto the street and hailed a cab on 2nd Avenue.

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BROOKLYN TEEN DIES IN APPARENT DROWNING AT UPSTATE FAWN’S LEAP WATERFALL

GREENE COUNTY — A BROOKLYN TEEN DIED WHILE JUMPING off a waterfall ledge into a swimming hole in upstate New York on Tuesday, reports the New York Post. The 16-year-old youth, whose name and neighborhood the NYPD have not yet released, was playing with another New York City friend at Fawn’s Leap — a popular waterfall in the Catskill Mountains — when he got caught in a hydraulic current and drowned. Another swimmer who tried to rescue the boys could save only one, the Greene County Sheriff’s office told the New York Post. The boy’s body was later recovered.

Within the past month, other adventurers have also had close calls and incurred injuries at the waterfall site, which is a popular spot for thrill-seekers, who often take selfies or videos of their feats, the Post reported.

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INSURANCE COMPANIES BLAME CLIMATE CHANGE FOR YEAR’S VIOLENT WEATHER

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN AND NATIONWIDE — THE WAVES OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS so far this year across the U.S., such as a violent July 25 storm that hit Brooklyn and knocked down trees, has cost $34 billion in insured losses, an unprecedented level of financial damage for a six-month period, the Associated Press reports. Several reinsurance industry executives — the companies that indemnify insurance groups — spoke with AP and pointed out that climate change contributes to the frequency and severity of these storms. Swiss Re Group estimated that damages from convective storms (with hail, lightning, heavy rain and high winds) accounted for nearly 70% of the $50 billion in global catastrophic damages so far this year and that 10 of the severe storms caused more than $1 billion or more in damage. Parts of Brooklyn sustained tree and flooding damage from the July 25 storm, including rain gushing into the New Utrecht subway station.

However, some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientists disagree, asserting that convection storms are typical of any summer.