What’s News, Breaking: Monday, October 23, 2023

October 23, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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MISSING BOY FOUND AT BROOKLYN SHELTER

BRONX — A MISSING BOY WITH AUTISM WAS FOUND safe at a youth shelter in Brooklyn, reports PIX News, after a search that lasted more than two weeks. Jason Ramirez, age 15, who lives in the Bronx, was reported missing after walking out of his school in the middle of the day on Oct. 4 and was last seen boarding and then exiting a city bus five blocks from the school; Ramirez’ mother told PIX that her son had been treated at Bellevue under another name before being sent to the Brooklyn shelter where he was eventually found.

She also told the news channel that her son had been bullied by other children in the school about riding yellow school buses prior to his disappearance: “He said he got overwhelmed by the kids bothering him.”

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ROAD RENAMED FOR FALLEN FIREFIGHTER

MARINE PARK — THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF FALLEN FIREFIGHTER Steven Pollard gathered in Marine Park on Sunday for the unveiling of a street corner named in his honor, reports CBS News; the corner of Avenue S and 35th Street, where Pollard grew up, is now officially known as Steven Pollard Way. Pollard passed away in 2019 after falling 50 feet while responding to a multi-car accident on the Belt Parkway; he was only 30 years old and had been an active firefighter for under two years.

“Our family is very thankful that he will always be remembered in this community that meant so much to him,” sister-in-law Nicole Pollard said.

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MAJOR FIRE AT E-BIKE WAREHOUSE

SUNSET PARK — THE FDNY DOUSED A THREE-ALARM FIRE AT A Sunset Park self-storage warehouse on Sunday afternoon, reports ABC News, that started in a unit where hundreds of e-bikes and scooters were being kept. Firefighters responding to the scene initially saw three of the battery-powered vehicles ablaze, with the building’s sprinkler system being insufficient to douse them; the FDNY worked into the night to stop the fire from spreading, with one responder sustaining a minor injury.

The surge in popularity of e-bikes and other micromobility vehicles has led to an attendant rise in fires caused by the high-strength lithium-ion batteries that power them; city officials have pinned the majority of the blame on cheap batteries made without quality control, and have asked the public to steer clear of substandard models and to always recharge safely.

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FORUM ON BULLYING WILL FOCUS
ON EARLY INTERVENTION

BENSONHURST — FOLLOWING A SCHOOLYARD INCIDENT THAT BROKE OUT IN HIS DISTRICT, ASSEMBLYMEMBER WILLIAM COLTON (D-47) will hold an educational forum for parents on the issue of bullying. The forum, taking place next Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m., will be hosted at and held in conjunction with the Chinese American Social Services (CASS) Center at 124 Avenue O near Bensonhurst and Mapleton. Assemblymember Colton will discuss the anti-bullying law that New York State originally passed in 2010, The Dignity for All Students Law, which meant “to provide the State’s public elementary and secondary school students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or at a school function.”

Assemblyman Colton said, “Being alert to early signs of bullying can help prevent incidents like that one. I urge parents to attend to learn about what can be done beforehand to try to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.”

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CATHOLIC PARISH WITH LINK
TO MSGR BERNARD QUINN
MARKS 125TH ANNIVERSARY

PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS — ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI-ST. BLAISE CATHOLIC CHURCH MARKED ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY with a special Mass, with Brooklyn Diocesan Bishop Robert Brennan as the main celebrant. While the first parish Mass was celebrated on Jan. 16, 1898, in a house at 284 Maple Street, it was on Oct. 23, 1898, that the wooden church on Lincoln Road near Nostrand Ave. was dedicated, according to the parish website. During his homily, Bishop Brennan also reflected on the parish’s special legacy and relationship with the former pastor, Monsignor Paul Jervis, who died last month. Monsignor Jervis was the Diocesan Postulator of the Cause of the Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God for Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, another Brooklyn priest who had established the diocese’s first Black Catholic parish, consecrated to St. Peter Claver.

The parish of St. Blaise merged with St. Francis of Assisi in Spring 1980. St. Blaise Church, which had been built as an Italian national parish, was at the corner of Maple Street and Kingston Avenue, and was merged with St. Francis Church in 1980.

An altar server waves incense over Bishop Brennan with a thurible as he offers a blessing during the 125th anniversary Mass. Left to right from the viewer’s side: Standing: Deacon Jaime Varela, Master of Ceremonies for Bishop Brennan; Seated: Father Thomas Vassalotti, Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi/St. Blaise parish; Bishop Brennan; Fr. Jean-Pierre Ruiz and Fr. Gerald Dumont.
Photo: John Quaglione/DeSales Media

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NYU LANGONE OFFERS PROGRAM
ON SEXUAL HEALTH, HIV PREVENTION

RED HOOK — FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS AT NYU LANGONE WILL HOST A FREE COMMUNITY EVENT THIS WEEK to educate the public about PrEP as an Accessible Option to Promote HIV Prevention and Sexual Health. As part of PrEP Aware Week which runs now through Oct. 29, Family Health Centers at NYU Langone will provide information to boost awareness and knowledge of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly effective HIV prevention method. The event takes place on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in the Waiting Area at Red Hook Family Health Center at NYU Langone, 168 Van Brunt Street, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. FHC’S mission is to mitigate Red Hook’s high health disparities and lack of access to care, and provide high-quality primary care to adult and pediatric patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

“PrEP is for Every Body” references two social movements: sex positivity acknowledging that all consensual sexual activities are fundamentally healthy; and body positivity, celebrating all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities.

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GILLIBRAND TO CONGRESS: EXTEND
AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY FUNDING

NATIONWIDE — CONGRESS NEEDS TO EXTEND FUNDING FOR THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM (ACP), state U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and her colleagues from 26 states expressed in a letter to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives and Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry. The Affordable Connectivity Program (federal) provides financial assistance to 21 million low-income families nationwide — including over 1.5 million New York households — who rely on it for high-speed internet. When the funds are depleted in a few months, these households will risk losing access to broadband services. Established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the ACP lowers the out-of-pocket cost of broadband service and devices for working families by providing a monthly discount of up to $30.00 off the cost of Internet service and equipment as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 off a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet.

Families in qualifying rural communities and qualifying Tribal lands receive a discount of up to $75.00 per month.

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BURLINGTON OPENS NEW STORE,
DONATES $5,000 TO P.S. 306

SPRING CREEK — BURLINGTON, THE NATIONAL DISCOUNT DEPARTMENT STORE RETAILER, has opened a new store in this borough, reports News12 Brooklyn. A ribbon-cutting on Friday, Oct. 21, celebrated the new Burlington location on Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, with the first 100 customers given a $10 bonus card. Free Burlington umbrellas were also distributed on Sunday. Burlington, which also has a longstanding partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, donated $5,000 to P.S. 306, also known as the Ethan Allen School, in East New York.

Formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory (founded in 1924), Burlington Stores rebranded itself in 2009. Burlington already has stores at Atlantic Center/Barclays, Kings Plaza, and Gateway Shopping Center in Spring Creek.

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BROOKLYN-BORN CAROL BERMAN DIES AT 100;
LED FIGHT TO BAN CONCORDE JET AT JFK AIRPORT

FLATBUSH AND LAWRENCE, NY — BROOKLYN-BORN CAROL BERMAN, WHO WAS BOTH THE FIRST DEMOCRAT AND THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE ELECTED TO THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE from Nassau County, died on Oct. 17, almost a month after turning 100, reports the Long Island Herald. During the three terms that Berman was a state senator, she led the fight to prevent the supersonic Concorde jet from operating from John F. Kennedy International Airport, due to the excessive noise it produced; and she led protests. She chaired the Emergency Coalition to Stop the SST, According to a news report, in May 1977, the coalition protest brought out about 1,000 cars in a slow (5-10 mph) procession at the main airport roadway.

An obituary of Ms. Berman published on Oct. 21 indicated she graduated early from both high school and college — and was class valedictorian at Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush.

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CITY REACHES AGREEMENT WITH SCHOOL ADMIN UNION

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ADAMS AND OFFICE OF LABOR RELATIONS commissioner Renee Campion on Saturday announced a tentative five-plus-year contract agreement with the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, which represents 6,400 public school principals and other administrators, that will grant yearly wage increases (retroactive to Jan. 2023) between 3% and 3.5%, as well as a one-time $3,000 contract bonus and annual December bonuses. The agreement also gives principals and administrators input into the design and implementation of the city’s new virtual learning program, increases schedule flexibility, and increases pay equity among administrators, targeting an income gap between elementary principals and others.

The agreement must now be ratified by CSA membership; its total cost is estimated to be approximately $500 million through Fiscal Year 2027, which the city says is fully funded.

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PROTEST FOR PALESTINE IN BAY RIDGE ENDS WITH ARRESTS

BAY RIDGE — PROTESTERS AT A RALLY IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINE clashed with police on Saturday night in Bay Ridge, reports ABC News, resulting in 19 arrests and citations for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and other charges. Thousands of peaceful marchers packed 5th Avenue during the day at the Flood Brooklyn for Palestine rally, but some became confrontational after sunset when police moved in and began using an LRAD noise cannon to clear the streets, according to a statement made by the NYPD to PIX News. Many in the crowd, which included demonstrators of all ages from both the city’s Muslim and Jewish communities, were there in support of a ceasefire between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas; others demanded an end to Israeli military action in the Palestinian territories, as well as the right of Palestinians to return to Israel.

The Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas fighters, known as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” launched an outpouring of sympathy from Americans for Israelis, but also incited an extensive bombing campaign of the embattled Gaza Strip; with the death toll now estimated to be in the thousands on both sides, many in the city’s Palestinian community fear that the suffering of innocents in Gaza is being sidelined, and that bigotry towards Muslims could be encouraged by pro-Israel rhetoric from New York politicians.

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FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL SET FOR NEXT MONTH

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ST. ANN’S CHURCH IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS IS SET TO HOST the 2023 Brooklyn Folk Festival next month, featuring a lineup of longtime folk stars and up-and-comers, along with workshops, activities and a celebration of music label Folkways Records’ 75th anniversary, as well as the 100th birthday of artist Harry Smith. The three-day event will see nonstop sets in the church from performers like native Brooklynite Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Peggy Seeger, Dom Flemons, Jake Blount and many more; attendees will also get the chance to learn the steps to country dances, and join in the Banjo Toss! banjo-throwing contest hosted by the Gowanus Dredgers.

The festival is set to run from Friday, Nov. 10 to Sunday, Nov. 12 at St. Ann’s Church; a full setlist and more information, as well as ticket purchase options, can be found on the Brooklyn Folk Festival’s website.

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UNIONS SPEND TO SUPPORT BRANNAN IN COUNCIL RACE

BAY RIDGE — THREE UNIONS ARE JOINING TO DONATE MORE THAN $200,000 to the campaign of Councilmember Justin Brannan in the contentious race over the newly redrawn 47th Council District in southern Brooklyn, reports City and State, including the NYS Nurses Association, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and the NYC branch of the Service Employees International Union, along with others. Union leaders told City and State that labor enthusiasm for Brannan extends beyond cash contributions, too — volunteers from the unions have been going door-to-door, leaving fliers and phone banking in support of the candidate in the district, which after the election will include Bay Ridge, Coney Island and other sections of the south Brooklyn waterfront area.

Democrat Brannan will be facing off in November against Ari Kagan, also a current councilmember, who is running as a Republican after switching his party affiliation last year; Brannan currently represents Bay Ridge in District 43, which will no longer include the neighborhood after this election.

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COBBLE HILL ASSN ANNUAL FALL MEETING

COBBLE HILL — THE COBBLE HILL ASSOCIATION WILL HOLD ITS ANNUAL fall meeting next Thursday, to discuss neighborhood issues and allow area residents to meet and speak with local elected officials. The Association will offer updates on issues like pedestrian safety, construction work and the ongoing repairs to the BQE, as well as a featured presentation on street trees by expert Samuel A. Bishop II, Director of Urban Forestry and Education at Trees New York discussing planning, maintenance and care; state Sen Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Councilmember Shahana Hanif and a representative for U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman will all hold Q&As.

The meeting is set for Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. at Christ Church at 326 Clinton St.; more information on speakers can be found online on the CHA’s website.

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PLAYGROUND AT OLD LICH TO BE CLOSED, RENOVATED

COBBLE HILL — THE FIRST COMMUNITY INPUT SESSION ON THE REDESIGN of the Blue & Yellow Playground on the former Long Island College Hospital campus, hosted by new owner Madison Realty Capital, is set for next week, offering a chance for local residents and families to steer the changes made by the park’s new owners after renovations conclude. For safety reasons, Madison will have to close the playground during the construction of the incoming 36-story condo tower next door within the next year; the developers plan to use the estimated 30-month shutdown period to repair Blue & Yellow’s decaying foundations — which requires scrapping the current playground structures — and install updated equipment before the eventual reopening.

The input session is set for Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. at Brooklyn Heights Montessori on Court Street; Madison Realty Capital isn’t obligated to abide by public requests but is working with the CHA to listen to community concerns over the playground, which it must maintain as long as it controls the property.

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TWO MEN ARRESTED IN ATTACK ON PALESTINIAN TEEN

BAY RIDGE — POLICE ON FRIDAY ANNOUNCED THAT TWO arrests had been made over the assault of a Palestinian teen last week by a group of nine men, apparently motivated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza Strip militant group Hamas. Eddie Zaibak, age 26, and Gabi Zaibak, age 28, both of Mill Basin, were both arrested on Friday morning and charged with assault, aggravated harassment and menacing; the case is being investigated as a hate crime by police.

According to previous reports, the attack came after the teenager and two friends exchanged yells about Palestine with the nine assaulters as the group drove past them on a Bay Ridge street; the attackers then parked their cars and began punching and kicking the 18-year-old before driving away.

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BEDBUG COMPLAINTS REACH NEW HIGH

CITYWIDE — NYC BEDBUG REPORTS HAVE REACHED THEIR HIGHEST level since 2019, reports Patch, reversing a years-long decline that bottomed out in 2022: 311 recorded 540 bedbug-related complaints in August of this year. The increase comes amid fears of a bedbug surge in Paris and other European capitals, part of a global rise in infestations spurred on by travel, urbanization and an acquired resistance to insecticides on the part of the notoriously hard-to-kill pests.

The city offers some tips on combating bedbugs, including inspecting pre-owned and hotel room furniture before use, using bedbug protection covers on beds and mattresses, and keeping homes and areas vacuumed and clutter-free; more tips and suggestions for pest control companies can be found on the Health Department’s website.

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MALLIOTAKIS PUSHES FOR GLOBAL
SAFETY STANDARDS IN AIRCRAFT REPAIRS

BAY RIDGE AND JFK AIRPORT — LEGISLATION IS NEEDED TO ESTABLISH GLOBAL AIRLINE MAINTENANCE STANDARDS, says Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11/southwestern Brooklyn) who is scheduled to meet on Monday, Oct. 23, with Transport Workers Union (TWU) International President John Samuelsen, Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT) and elected officials. Meeting at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, the group will be urging Congress to pass H.R.1716, the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act. This is bipartisan legislation that would not only establish a global safety standard for American aircraft repairs but also remove incentives for companies to offshore aircraft maintenance jobs to what Malliotakis calls questionable foreign facilities.

There are nearly one thousand FAA-certified maintenance and repair stations outside the United States service American aircraft, but they are allowed to operate at a far lower safety standard than their American-based counterparts, which the Congressmembers say could jeopardize the safety of the flying public and flight crews.

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PLYMOUTH CHURCH TO HOST YANKEE FAIR

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — PLYMOUTH CHURCH IS HOSTING ITS ANNUAL FALL Yankee Fair next weekend, an old-fashioned church fair offering entertainment and goodies for all ages. Kids can enjoy a children’s block party outside the church with rides, pumpkin-decorating and face-painting; inside will be a market filled with handmade and vintage treasures, high-end thrift clothing, books and more, as well as sing-alongs and history tours focusing on Plymouth’s role in the Underground Railroad — and plenty of snacks and food.

The Yankee Fair will be held on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Plymouth Church; admittance is free and open to the public.

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THEATRE GROUP TO HOST PLAY IN CANOES ON NEWTOWN CREEK

GREENPOINT — AN AVANT-GARDE THEATER GROUP IS SET TO HOST an environmentally focused play in a unique venue this weekend, reports the New York Post: a 14-seat canoe on the heavily-polluted Newtown Creek, between Brooklyn and Queens. The play, “River Watchers,” is a fourth-wall-breaking performance focusing on two characters’ efforts to save the creek from ecological destruction; audience members will become part of the show themselves and will paddle the canoe throughout its runtime.

“River Watchers” will have only ten performances, from Oct. 19 through Oct. 22 and from Oct. 26 through Oct. 29; tickets and more information can be found on the website of the theater group, The Motor Company NYC.

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$4M FUNDING TO FIX UP BPL’s JAMAICA BAY LIBRARY

CANARSIE — BROOKLYN OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED THAT JAMAICA BAY LIBRARY in Canarsie would be receiving $4 million in the FY24 budget for capital improvements, including a $3 million capital grant from the City Council via Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse and $1 million from Borough President Antonio Reynoso, allocated to upgrade the roof, HVAC, and fire and safety systems.

On Tuesday, Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, thanked Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Narcisse and Reynoso for funding the improvements to the 50-year-old branch, located near the Jamaica Bay Coastal Lagoon.

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INTERFAITH HOSPITAL DOCTORS SET TO GET NEW FREE HOUSING

BED-STUY — STAFF AT INTERFAITH HOSPITAL IN BED-STUY on Thursday celebrated the opening of a new residence building, operated by the Brooklyn Health Equity Foundation, that will offer free housing to doctors at the hospital, reports News 12. The foundation’s goal is to help Interfaith retain doctors who are able to live in their local communities, coming in response to soaring housing costs.

The new Herkimer Street building will be able to house six doctors, as well as the offices of the BHEF on its ground floor; chairman Howard K. Williams told News 12 that they hope to build more such residences in the future.

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POLICE SEEK MEN WHO ATTACKED PRO-PALESTINE TEEN

BAY RIDGE — POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A GROUP OF NINE MEN WHO attacked and injured a teenager in an alleged anti-Palestinian hate crime earlier this month, reports amNY, apparently motivated by the recent surge in violence between Israel and Hamas. Police say that on the night of Oct. 11, an 18-year-old boy walking on 86th Street yelled “Free Palestine,” at three cars displaying Israeli flags. The drivers stopped the cars, and nine men emerged and began to punch and kick the teen, inflicting minor injuries, before getting back in their cars and driving off.

Anyone with any information 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 their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crime stoppers.nypd online.org, or on X (Twitter) @NYPDTips.

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WOMAN KILLED AFTER TRIPPING IN MIDDLE OF BUSY INTERSECTION

BROADWAY TRIANGLE — A WOMAN TRIPPED IN A BUSY INTERSECTION and was run over by a car, suffering fatal injuries, on Wednesday morning at roughly 10:30 a.m. Bushwick resident Aurora Soto, 68, was headed south in the crosswalk on Broadway at Flushing Avenue when she tripped and fell in front of a white 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, operated by a 72-year-old woman traveling eastbound on Broadway. Police responders from the 79th Precinct found Soto unconscious and unresponsive with trauma about the body. EMS transported her to NYC Health & Hospitals/Kings County, where she was pronounced deceased.

The operator of the Jeep remained on the scene, and no criminality is suspected at this time. The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is conducting the investigation.

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ER DOC AT BROOKDALE INVESTIGATED FOR PRO-HAMAS INSTAGRAM POST

EAST FLATBUSH — AN EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR with Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center in East Flatbush, and Lenox Hill Hospital on the Upper East Side, has been fired from Lenox Hill for a controversial Instagram post that applauded Hamas’ massacre in southern Israel, saying the attack gave Israelis “a taste of their own medicine,” the New York Post reports. NYC Health + Hospitals, which operates Brookdale, told the Post they were aware of Diab’s behavior and were investigating.

Dr. Dana Diab, a Palestinian raised in Qatar, was outed on Twitter/X by an account called Stop Antisemitism, which shared a screenshot of her Instagram post.

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CHECK THAT LOTTERY TICKET IF YOU BOUGHT IT IN BROOKLYN D.A.’S BUILDING

DOWNTOWN — SOMEONE WHO BOUGHT A TAKE 5 LOTTERY TICKET in Downtown Brooklyn at HENA 350, located in the same building that houses the Brooklyn District Attorney and other government offices, is almost $20,000 richer today, according to the New York Lottery. The shop sold one prize-winning ticket for the drawing that took place midday on Thursday, Oct. 19, worth $19,633. The prize can be claimed up to one year from the date of the lottery.

New Yorkers struggling with a gambling addiction can find help at NYProblemGamblingHelp.org, by calling New York’s toll-free confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or texting HOPENY (467369).

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SUSPECT ARRAIGNED IN STABBING OF BELOVED BROOKLYN ACTIVIST

DOWNTOWN — BRIAN DOWLING, 18, WAS ARRAIGNED ON AN INDICTMENT ON FRIDAY for the savage and unprovoked murder of beloved Brooklyn activist Ryan Carson in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Oct. 2, Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez announced. The attack was caught on video and additional evidence, including a knife, allegedly connected the defendant to the crime. Dowling, who was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, was ordered to be held without bail and faces 25-to-life if convicted. The video showed that Carson attempted to flee but fell over a bus stop bench, after which Dowling allegedly stabbed him multiple times, striking his heart.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Ryan Carson was a promising and passionate man who worked to make our society better. Many of us watched the horrific video that showed his life being snuffed away senselessly, for no reason at all.”

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MARYLAND MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OVER PARKING SPACE AT BROOKLYN HOME DEPOT

DOWNTOWN — A MARYLAND MAN WAS INDICTED IN BROOKLYN on Friday on charges of murder and attempted murder for allegedly killing a young woman and injuring her boyfriend, following a dispute over a parking space at a Home Depot in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Sept. 9. Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez charged Quincy James Davis, 58, with walking to the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle and opening fire, killing Imani Sharpless, 26, with a gunshot to the head and wounding her boyfriend, who was behind the wheel. Davis is being held without bail and faces 25-to-life if convicted.

Gonzalez said, “Imani Sharpless was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. She died senselessly after this defendant allegedly callously opened fire on two innocent people over a minor dispute, leaving her family and friends heartbroken.”

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‘PROPTECH’ COMPANIES FIND A HOME IN BROOKLYN

BOROUGHWIDE — AFTER COVID-19, AN EXODUS FROM MANHATTAN TO BROOKLYN began looking good to professionals including “proptech” (property technology) founders and venture capitalists, the Commercial Observer reports. CO profiles proptech company Peek, whose founders both moved from different locations to Williamsburg, with half of their employees living in Brooklyn. Other Brooklyn-based proptech startups are located in DUMBO and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

“I do think places like Brooklyn and, frankly, up and down the Brooklyn waterfront, especially in DUMBO, there’s this community for early-stage companies that are scrappy, that are building something,” said William Sankey, CEO at DUMBO-based real estate development software company Northspyre.

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NY LAUNCHES NEW HOTLINE TO REPORT HATE AND BIAS CRIMES

STATEWIDE — A NEW HOTLINE HAS BEEN LAUNCHED TO REPORT HATE CRIMES AND BIAS INCIDENTS, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday afternoon, Oct. 20. The telephone hotline (844-NO-2-HATE) and online form, launched in conjunction with the NYS Division of Human Rights’ Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, enable people to report incidents directly to that office. HBPU encourages all New Yorkers to contact the unit if they or someone they know has experienced an incident involving hate or discrimination.

Friday’s announcement was made as Jewish, Arab, Muslim and other communities across New York State and around the country face prejudice and violence in the wake of the bloody conflict involving Israel and Hamas.

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TRAVELERS UPSTATE URGED TO USE CAUTION WITH MORE WILDLIFE ON ROADWAYS

STATEWIDE — IT’S DEER AND MOOSE MATING SEASON, which means the hazard of more vehicle collisions involving these animals, cautions the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Motor Vehicles. The two state agencies remind NYC residents driving to points upstate that deer and moose are most active and more likely to enter public roadways during the autumn as they search for mates during their breeding season — October through December. According to the University at Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, in 2022, 41.5% of crashes between deer and vehicles occurred during this three-month span.

Motorists in the Adirondacks and surrounding areas should particularly be on alert for moose on roadways, as moose are much larger and taller than deer, and their large size can result in significant damage to vehicles. Moose are especially difficult to see at night because of their dark coloring and their height — placing them above the range of headlights.