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SANTOS AIDE CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT

BROOKLYN — A CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATE OF REP. GEORGE SANTOS WHO IMPERSONATED Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s former chief of staff was charged with wire fraud and identity theft in a federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday, the New York Times reports. The aide, Samuel Miele, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Brooklyn federal court and released on $150,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty.

Miele impersonated Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff in fund-raising appeals, according to the Times.

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IN MEMORIAM:
OPERATIC SOPRANO RENATA SCOTTO DIES AT 89,
DRAMATIC AND SHREWD ON AND OFFSTAGE

SAVONA, ITALY — OPERA AFICIONADOS IN BROOKLYN AND AROUND THE WORLD ARE MOURNING dramatic soprano Renata Scotto, 89, who died on Wednesday, Aug. 16, in her native Savona, Italy, reports the New York Times obituary reporter Jonathan Kandell. Ms. Scotto was acclaimed for her stage presence and interpretations of operatic characters, and for her business sense and hardball negotiating with opera house managers. For example, after the Metropolitan Opera House’s Sir Rudolf Bing refused to increase her repertoire performances, she met her contract and then left. Ms. Scotto was later invited back under general manager James Levine’s tenure, and flourished during his leadership of the Met. And she once slapped tenor Giuseppe di Stefano for walking offstage — interrupting their duet — to munch an apple.

Even as a child, Renata Scotto would stand by her window and sing the latest Italian pop hits, with admirers throwing candy up at her.

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HOCHUL WARNS BEACHGOERS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM FLESH-EATING BACTERIA

NEW YORK METRO — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL CAUTIONED on Wednesday that vibriosis, a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection that can cause skin breakdown (hence known as “flesh-eating bacteria”), has been found in the region. Fatal cases of vibriosis have been identified in Suffolk County and Connecticut. The state Department of Health reminds providers to consider vibriosis when diagnosing wound infections or sepsis of unknown origins. “While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,”  Hochul said.

Hochul said it is critical to protect open wounds — including scrapes and recent tattoos — from seawater and, for those with compromised immune systems, avoid raw or undercooked shellfish which may carry the bacteria.

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NEW LAW REQUIRES UTILITY COMPANIES TO PAY
PREVAILING WAGE FOR STREET EXCAVATION

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL HAS SIGNED LEGISLATION ENSURING A PREVAILING WAGE FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS who perform certain utility work on roads. The Roadway Quality Assurance Act, an amendment to labor law and signed on Wednesday, Aug.16, mandates that utility company contractors and subcontractors pay the prevailing wage to employees on projects where a permit is required to be issued to use, excavate, or open a street. This requirement uplifts workers and local communities across New York State and contributes to reliable utility service for ratepayers.

“We commend Governor Hochul for prioritizing safety while ensuring workers will be paid fairly for their labor. Requiring prevailing wage standards on roadway excavation projects will lead to the use of a highly trained and skilled workforce, help protect public safety and assist with utility service reliability,” said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO.

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BED-STUY BUILDING SUPER SOCKED
WITH 25-TO-LIFE SENTENCE
FOR MURDERING RIVAL, HIDING CRIME 

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A BEDFORD STUYVESANT MAN HAS BEEN SENTENCED to 25 years to life in prison for killing a Mount Vernon man and attempting to conceal his crime by setting fire to the victim’s corpse in the basement of a Brooklyn apartment building. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Wednesday, Aug.16, identified the defendant as 58-year-old Derek Whitaker, who received the prison sentence from Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun. Whitaker was convicted on June 16, 2023, of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree arson, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse following a jury trial.

The defendant and victim were romantic rivals and the defendant stalked the victim for months before the murder, later transporting the victim’s body to the basement of a building at 494 Jefferson Avenue, where he worked as superintendent.

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THREE RESTAURANT CHAINS ORDERED
TO RESOLVE EMPLOYEE SHIFT VIOLATIONS

 CITYWIDE — AS PART OF ANOTHER WORKPLACE SETTLEMENT, millions of dollars in employee relief have been secured for workers from three major restaurant chains over the past months to resolve violations of the City’s Fair Workweek Law, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga announced on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Panda Express, Au Bon Pain, and 7-Eleven’s “Raise the Roost” will pay a combined $4.5 million in restitution to nearly 2,400 workers, and $417,000 in civil penalties. The Fair Workweek Law requires fast food employers in New York City to give workers regular schedules, premium pay for schedule changes, the opportunity to decline to work additional time without penalty, among other provisions.

Clopening, a combination of the words “closing” and “opening,” refers to the practice of making employees work a closing shift followed directly by an opening shift, which allows for insufficient rest in between shifts. Depending on the specific hours, some clopeners have as little as four hours between shifts, depriving the workers of the sleep they need to be alert on the job.

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IN ‘SCATHING’ LETTER, HOCHUL’S LAWYER ACCUSES ADAMS OF BUNGLING MIGRANT CRISIS

ALBANY/NEW YORK CITY — IN A ‘SCATHING’ LETTER late Tuesday, a lawyer representing Gov. Kathy Hochul faulted Mayor Eric Adams’s management of NYC’s migrant crisis, the New York Times reports. The letter said the city failed to accept numerous state offers of assistance over the last year, including the use of more than a dozen state-controlled sites that could house more than 3,000 migrants. It also said the Adams administration was slow to act, and ignored a suggestion to begin setting up large campsites for single adult men as far back as June 2022.

The letter also said the Adams’ administration did not prioritize helping migrants fill out paperwork to start getting their work permits, meaning thousands who could now be working are not.

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NAIL SALON CHAIN ORDERED TO MAKE
RESTITUTION ON UNPAID WAGES

CITYWIDE — STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES HAS  RECOVERED $300,000 IN UNPAID WAGES for workers at Envy Nails, a chain of 25 nail salons located in New York City. Between 2015 and 2021, the salons failed to pay minimum wage to more than 100 current and former employees, many of whom were vulnerable immigrant workers and workers of color. As part of the agreement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Envy Nails must pay $300,000 in restitution to the salon workers, dissolve improperly registered corporate entities, and submit reports to OAG for a period of three years.

Moreover, Nails 181, Inc., which is one of 25 entities doing business as Envy Nails, has also pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, for failing to pay sales tax for five years. As a condition of its sentence, New York County Supreme Court Judge Laurie Peterson ordered tax judgments against Nails 181 totaling more than $275,000 in favor of the state.

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INTERBOROUGH EXPRESS SUBWAY EXPANSION MEETING SLATED FOR WEDNESDAY EVENING

CITYWIDE — THE MTA IS SET TO HOLD A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY DISCUSSING THE PROGRESS MADE on the upcoming Interborough Express train project, which aims to connect Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights, Queens, and other neighborhoods in between via a new light rail line. The IBX, as it’s being called, would run along currently existing freight train tracks through the outer parts of the boroughs and connect with 17 other subway lines as well as the LIRR, and is expected to carry up to 115,000 passengers daily, according to amNY; the meeting will discuss the results of the Planning and Environmental Linkages study ordered by Governor Hochul last year.

The meeting will be hosted on Zoom and will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16; attendees can register to attend online or find more information on the MTA’s IBX webpage.

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COMMUNITY DEMANDS CHANGE AFTER NIGHTCLUB MYSTERY DEATHS, KIDNAPPING

WILLIAMSBURG — PARTIERS AND MUSIC-LOVERS ARE ORGANIZING A LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN DEMANDING SAFETY UPGRADES FOLLOWING A SERIES of disturbing events connected to the Brooklyn Mirage nightclub inside the Avant Gardner event venue, reports Gothamist, including two suspicious deaths and an alleged kidnapping. Two young professionals, 27-year-old psychologist Karl Clemente and 27-year-old financial analyst John Castic, were both last seen alive leaving the Mirage before their bodies were discovered in the Newtown Creek nearby, while two Connecticut men were arrested in July after allegedly kidnapping a doctor from the club by posing as a taxi service.

A letter to area Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez circulated by the concerned group charges the venue with negligence regarding the safety of their patrons, citing frequently oversold shows, a lack of lighting around the exits, poor wireless service and a proliferation of unlicensed taxis outside at very late hours; and demands action from both Avant Gardner and from the city.

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RENTAL BUILDING RISES NEXT TO BOTANIC GARDEN

PROSPECT HEIGHTS – DEVELOPER CARMEL PARTNERS HAS ACQUIRED $233 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION FUNDING TO FINISH its planned 569-apartment rental complex on Crown Street, adjacent to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, reports 6sqft NY, a mixed-use development that will also provide 7,400 square feet of commercial space and 1,325 square feet of community space. The company has already broken ground on the building, which will ultimately rise to 174 feet.

The new, smaller building is on the site of a project successfully contested by the BBG and community partners that would have seen much larger high-rise towers block out sunlight during much of the day, potentially spelling doom for the delicate rare plants in its greenhouses.

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SANTOS MISSES HOUSE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE DEADLINE

WASHINGTON — EMBATTLED U.S. REP. GEORGE SANTOS, WHO LAST DECEMBER WAS revealed to have lied extensively about his resume, personal identity and criminal history during his campaign for his Long Island House seat, on Sunday missed the deadline to submit his annual financial disclosures paperwork to the House Committee on Ethics, reports the New York Times, potentially opening him up to fines and raising further questions about his spotty financial record. Santos was charged in the EDNY in May with 13 different felony charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying on his previous House financial disclosure forms.

Santos has repeatedly refused to disclose the clients of his company, known as the Devolder Organization, or the sources of large donations made from his personal accounts to his campaign fund.

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SUNSET PARK HEALTH EMPOWERMENT FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

SUNSET PARK — THE EIGHTH ANNUAL SUNSET PARK HEALTH EMPOWERMENT CELEBRATION IS SET to bring healthy-living advice and fun activities to southern Brooklynites this weekend, at a free community event intended to raise awareness of wellness resources available to low-income or uninsured residents. The event will include cultural performances and demonstrations, wellness activities like yoga and gardening, a hot meal distribution and tabling and talks from community organizations, health partners and local politicians.

The Celebration will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, in Sunset Park (the park itself, which is in the Sunset Park neighborhood.)

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AT&T, GOOD SHEPHERD LAUNCH KIDS’ DRONE PILOT CLASS

RED HOOK — U.S. REP. DAN GOLDMAN’S OFFICE AND COUNCILMEMBER ALEXA AVILES JOINED THE 35 CAMPERS at the Summer Soaring Project, a no-cost technology education summer camp program hosted by Good Shepherd Services and AT&T, on Tuesday to celebrate the program’s inaugural season and watch the campers show their skills. The project aims to bridge the digital equity divide in a fun and innovative way: participants learn how to fly and navigate drones, and even build their own rovers, while also learning about programming, physics, aerodynamics, robotics, and electronics; the camps are led by the Drone Cadets, an organization that focuses on responsible piloting.

Two camp sessions are operating this summer, in East New York and Red Hook; the camp at the Red Hook Houses operates five days a week, from July 5 to Aug. 25, and the camp at the Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center in East New York operated four days a week, from July 5 through Aug. 3.

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MISSING GIRL IN BROWNSVILLE

BROWNSVILLE — POLICE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO HELP LOCATE MISSING GIRL Mia Johnson, age 12, who was last seen around noon on Friday, Aug. 11 at her Ashford Street home, near the New Lots Avenue 3 train terminus. Mia is described as around 5’4″ and 160 pounds, with a light complexion, short brown hair and dark-colored eyes, and was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, brown pants and black Nike Air Max sneakers; police say she is known to frequent the Brownsville area. 

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.

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NY STATE SAW DECREASE IN NUMBER OF UNINSURED NEW YORKERS, BUT MOSTLY AMONG WHITE POPULATION

STATEWIDE — THE PERCENTAGE OF NEW YORKERS WHO LACK HEALTH INSURANCE declined over an 11-year period from 2010-2021, down to 5.2% as of two years ago, according to an analysis that New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released on Wednesday, Aug. 16. New York’s uninsured rate came in well below the national average of 8.6% and less than half of what it was in the state in 2010 (11.9%). While most people with insurance both nationally (67%) and in New York (65.9%) have private health insurance, expansion of public health programs under state and federal policies has played an important role in reducing the number of uninsured.

However, health care coverage disparities persist among the state’s Black, Asian and Latino populations and higher uninsured rates were also prevalent among low- and moderate-income groups.

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PUBLIC HEARING SET FOR PROPOSED RULES
ON RIDESHARE VEHICLE CONVERSIONS

CITYWIDE — A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE CONVENED NEXT MONTH regarding the newly proposed rules for the “Green Rides” initiative, which requires the transition of New York City’s rideshare fleet to either zero-emission vehicles or wheelchair-accessible vehicles by 2030, Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Do announced on Wednesday, Aug. 16. The proposed rules will also make New York City the first large city in the world to have a rideshare fleet that is entirely either zero-emissions or wheelchair accessible. The virtual-only public hearing will take place via Zoom at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, and will be livestreamed on TLC’s website at www.nyc.gov/tlc. Those wishing to participate must email the TLC at [email protected] or call TLC at 212-676-1135 by 5 p.m. on Sept. 19.

The Green Rides program and this set of proposed rules delivers on a commitment from Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda” to electrify the high-volume for-hire vehicle fleet in New York City without imposing new costs on individual drivers.

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NY/NJ GROUPS DEMAND OVERHAUL OF ARMY CORPS’ STORM SURGE PROPOSALS

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY — MORE THAN 25 ENVIRONMENTAL, CIVIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORANIZATIONS on Wednesday called for a major overhaul of the $52.6 billion storm surge protection plans proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In a statement released by the Environmental Defense Fund, the coalition said the current plans focus primarily on coastal storm surge, failing to take into consideration the region’s increasing exposure to heavy rains, rising groundwater and “sunny day” tidal flooding. The groups want the Corps to fast-track communities most at risk, prioritize people over property, and maximize natural approaches — as opposed to plans that include building high seawalls blocking communities like Greenpoint, Gowanus and Red Hook from the waterfront.

The Corps said on their website that they are delaying the Agency Decision Milestone, which was previously scheduled for July 2023, “until later in the summer.” 

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STUDENTS EXPLORE NEW YORK AS ‘GLOBAL CITY’

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — BROOKLYN STUDENTS FROM NEW YORK EDGE, the city’s largest provider of school-based afterschool and summer programming, celebrated their achievements last week at the M.S. 267K Math, Science & Technology Summer Rising site. Incorporating the theme, “New York City, Global City” into their projects, the students designed aprons, tried new recipes, learned life-saving techniques from Fire Department personnel and engaged in friendly basketball competition.

While developing valuable skills and immersing themselves in the city’s diverse culture ranging from food to history, the students gained new perspectives and expressed what living in New York City means to them.

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CHILDREN’S ‘SUMMER VILLAGE’ AT BORO HALL

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — BROOKLYN BP ANTONIO REYNOSO IS HOSTING a Children’s “Summer Village” activity day at Borough Hall this Wednesday, open to youngsters from kindergarten through 5th grade and their parents. The event will feature a fencing demonstration, storytime with the Brooklyn Public Library, snow cones, dancing, magic, face painting, a pop-up flower park for kids to play in, and an interactive building station.

The Summer Village will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Borough Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 16; attendance is free, but online RSVPs are requested.

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KINGS THEATRE IN FLATBUSH WILL HOST TALK WITH DR. JANE GOODALL

FLATBUSH — WORLD-RENOWNED ETHOLOGIST AND ACTIVIST DR. JANE GOODALL AND HER REASONS FOR HOPE TOUR STOPS IN BROOKLYN in September for a talk at the Kings Theatre. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace, is known for groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, which forever changed our understanding of humankind’s relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom. She will discuss her work, her life and will answer audience questions at a 3 p.m. talk on Saturday, Sept. 30. (Tickets, starting at $64.50, go on sale this Friday, Aug. 18; reservations via Ticketmaster.com.)

Dr. Goodall spoke at the Brooklyn Museum on April 3 — her 89th birthday — to a sold-out audience.

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CITY HALL HALTS BIKE LANE AFTER DEVELOPER COMPLAINS

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — A TOP AIDE TO MAYOR ADAMS PUMPED THE BRAKES ON A PROTECTED BIKE LANE planned for Ashland Place (near the Barclays Center) after developer Two Trees made private complaints about the project, which could block access to one of its parking garages, according to administration sources who spoke anonymously to StreetsBlog. A City Hall spokesman denied that aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin had intervened with the DOT to halt the bike lane’s construction, but a Two Trees representative appeared to acknowledge that its complaints had been heard, writing in a statement, “Not every effort to improve a project is an indictment of the end goal.”

The Ashland Place bike lane project, which would connect busy bike routes coming from Manhattan to those in central Brooklyn, has faced other opposition within the community from BAM, whose loading docks would be impacted by the lane’s placement.

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1 DEAD, 3 INJURED IN BROWNSVILLE FIRE

BROWNSVILLE — ONE PERSON PASSED AWAY IN THE HOSPITAL ON MONDAY AFTER A MAJOR FIRE on the top floor of a six-story Brownsville apartment building that afternoon, reports Gothamist, with three others also sustaining injuries from the fire, two serious. FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Carney told reporters that emergency responders arriving at the scene around 2 p.m. had discovered two people who jumped from the top floor to avoid the fire and were immediately treated; two others were rescued from the burning apartment, where firefighters were able to keep the “very heavy” blaze contained despite difficult conditions.

Carney also said that the department believed the fire may have been suspicious, and that its origins would be investigated.

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M TRAIN SERVICE SUSPENDED FOR SWITCH REPLACEMENT

BOROUGHWIDE — THE M TRAIN WILL BE COMPLETELY OUT OF SERVICE for a week, starting on Wednesday, Aug. 30, for track reconstruction work, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Monday, Aug. 14. Starting at 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 30, M train service will be shut down until Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5 a.m., (just after the Labor Day weekend), so that crews can remove and replace the switches just south of the Middle Village-Metropolitan Ave. station.

Free M90 shuttle buses will accommodate M train riders between the Middle Village-Metropolitan Ave. terminal and Brooklyn’s Myrtle Ave. station. Buses will make all station stops from Middle Village-Metropolitan Av to Myrtle Av, where riders can connect to J and Z train service through Brooklyn, to Delancey St-Essex St. Riders can also transfer from the M90 to the L train at Myrtle-Wyc` 

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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS QUESTION CITY’S NEW POLICY OF PLASTIC BAGS FOR COMPOST

CITYWIDE — ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE QUESTIONING the city’s plan to allow plastic bags for yard waste pickup, saying that the use of plastic undermines the idea of composting, reports Gothamist. The new policy accompanies the Sanitation Department’s mandatory rollout to separate yard waste (which includes leaves and twigs, but not soil) from other trash. Previously, paper bags and bins were the only permitted receptacles for yard waste, and Rhonda Keyser of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board is urging a quick return to that policy.

Later this year, Brooklyn will be brought into the mandatory composting policy, which already took effect in Queens.

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LAWSUIT OVER FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT IS ‘BASELESS,’ SAY CITY PENSION FUNDS

CITYWIDE — THREE OF NEW YORK CITY’S PENSION FUNDS HAVE FILED A MOTION TO DISMISS what they call a baseless lawsuit that challenges their decision to stop investing in publicly-traded securities of fossil fuel reserve owners. Filed in May, the lawsuit (Wong et al v. NYCERS) claimed that the three Systems (Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Employees’ Retirement System, and Board of Education Retirement System) breached their fiduciary duties in the years-long process of divesting from fossil fuel companies. However, the plaintiffs, who are four current public employees, admit that the divestment decision does not impact the guaranteed retirement benefits they will receive many years from now.

City Comptroller Brad Lander pointed out that the retirement systems “are implementing ambitious and well-researched plans to address the responsibility that investment managers and portfolio companies have to assess the material risks of climate change.” He asserted that the lawsuit really seeks to protect fossil fuel companies rather than future retirees.

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ADAMS APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY MAYOR FOR COMMUNICATIONS

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ADAMS ON MONDAY ANNOUNCED THE APPOINTMENT OF HIS FORMER PRESS SECRETARY Fabien Levy as the new Deputy Mayor for Communications, the seventh deputy mayor appointed so far. The mayor claimed that the intention behind this move is to centralize city communications and reduce confusion, saying, “the antiquated method of communicating with your constituency of just through the daily tabloids, it’s just not acceptable anymore. We have to communicate directly to our consumers;” the New York Times, however, expressed concern that City Hall might see this as an opportunity to avoid unflattering press coverage.

The Times, which characterized Levy in his previous role as “an attack dog in response to news coverage that the mayor dislikes,” reports that this appointment will see Levy’s salary bumped from around $211,000 to over $250,000.

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CITY BANS TIKTOK FROM OFFICIAL PHONES

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ADAMS’ CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER ON FRIDAY ISSUED AN ORDER BANNING the installation or use of video-sharing app TikTok on city government phones and computers, reports Politico, following in the footsteps of the state and federal governments, which enacted similar bans in 2020 and 2022, respectively. The Chinese app has been the subject of multiple ban attempts recently, including a total ban in Montana currently being challenged in court by developer ByteDance as cybersecurity researchers warn that the company may collaborate with or be forced by the Chinese government to hand over sensitive user data.

New York state’s ban has an exception for public relations TikTok accounts, which make short-form videos to communicate with the public; it’s unclear whether the city will make similar allowances for the NYPD and FDNY, which both operate their own accounts on the service.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES: RENTAL CAR COMPANIES ILLEGALLY DENIED SERVICE TO THOSE WITHOUT CREDIT CARDS

STATEWIDE — A MAJOR CAR RENTAL GROUP MUST PAY NEW YORK STATE $275,000 in penalties over the illegal denial of rental cars to consumers without credit cards, as the result of NYS Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into this practice. The Office of the Attorney General found that 74 Avis Car Rental and Budget Rent a Car locations across New York informed customers that a credit card was required to rent a vehicle, in violation of New York state law, which prohibits rental vehicle companies from enforcing this practice. Moreover, several Avis and Budget locations displayed signs indicating that they did not accept debit cards. The Attorney General’s Office is requiring Avis Budget Group Inc. to update its policy and provide staff training on it.

Most rental car companies allow individuals without a credit card to rent a vehicle by placing a cash deposit or a hold on a debit card.

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GUN RIGHTS CASES WILL TEST CONSTITUTIONALITY OF NY LAW

STATEWIDE — THE NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS, the state’s highest court, is scheduled to hear six gun rights cases on Sept. 13, most of which will test the constitutionality of the bolstered firearms law, called the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, reports the New York Law Journal. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 23, 2022 ruling that New York’s law restricting handguns in public was unconstitutional, Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-majority state legislature enacted another, even more stringent law that banned open-carry in many “sensitive locations,” from schools and churches, medical facilities and government buildings to bars and stadiums. If the Court of Appeals overturns Penal Law §265.03(3), criminalizing the possession of a firearm in public places, then a number of convictions will need to be overturned. However, if the law is upheld, the court expects a batch of appeals.

The U.S. Supreme Court in January 2023 handed down an unsigned brief, permitting New York to continue enforcing the enhanced concealed gun control law.

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GOLDMAN INTRODUCES ‘COOL OFF’ ACT: 3-DAY WAIT FOR HANDGUNS 

WASHINGTON — U.S. REP. DAN GOLDMAN ON MONDAY JOINED FELLOW REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI TO INTRODUCE the Choosing Our Own Lives Over Fast Firearms, or “COOL-OFF” Act, to Congress, which would institute a national waiting period of three business days for all handgun sales. A press release from Goldman’s office cites the Giffords Law Center in saying that state-level waiting periods have been shown to reduce gun homicides by 17% and suicide deaths by at least 7%; supporters say the extra time would give law enforcement agencies the ability to conduct additional background checks.

Goldman, who frequently works to strengthen gun regulations, last week cosponsored a package of legislation that would establish a federal “red flag” program, which would allow judges to temporarily confiscate firearms under certain conditions, and create grant programs to support state and local red flag programs.

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BIDEN: 800K BORROWERS WILL HAVE STUDENT DEBT CANCELED

NATIONWIDE — PRESIDENT BIDEN ON MONDAY ANNOUNCED IN A PRESS STATEMENT THAT 804,000 STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS who had previously applied for income-based repayment plans will be receiving significant credit toward their loans, with 614,000 of those borrowers having their entire debt loads canceled. The president stated that his administration had determined that errors and administrative failures under previous presidents had resulted in this group of debtors not being accurately credited for their payments under the terms of their forgiveness plans, which are intended to forgive the remaining loan balance for borrowers who make payments for periods of 20 to 25 years.

The announcement comes alongside the launch of the new SAVE student loan repayment program, which will limit payments to 5% of a borrower’s monthly income and potentially cut payments to $0 for some low-income borrowers, as well as limiting interest accrual.

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