What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, November 22, 2023

November 22, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NYC GAVE AWAY 7,622 FREE RAIN BARRELS
OVER THE SUMMER

CITYWIDE — THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION partnered with officials, community boards and neighborhood groups over the summer to give away 7,622 rain barrels to residents, DEP announced Wednesday. The 60-gallon rain barrels connect directly to a property’s gutter or downspout to capture and store stormwater that falls on the roof. The water collected in the barrel reduces the amount of stormwater that enters the city’s sewer system, helping to alleviate flooding and sewer overflows into waterways.

As an added benefit, homeowners can store rainwater and use it for outdoor chores, like watering a lawn or garden or washing a car, reducing water consumption and saving on water bills.

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11-YEAR-OLD STRUCK BY NYPD CAR IN GRAVESEND

GRAVESEND — AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL WAS STRUCK BY AN NYPD VEHICLE around 6:43 p.m. Tuesday evening at the intersection of Highlawn and Stillwell avenues in Gravesend, the New York Post reported. The police cruiser, which was responding to a 911 call, was traveling westbound on Stillwell when it hit the girl and then crashed into an unoccupied parked van nearby.

Thankfully, the girl suffered only minor injuries and was taken to Maimonides Hospital in stable condition, according to the Post.

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PUBLIC URGED TO ATTEND LAND USE MEETING
ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES TO RESIDENTIAL ZONES

BAY RIDGE AND DYKER HEIGHTS — MAJOR ZONING CHANGES PROPOSED AS PART OF MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ CITY OF YES for Economic Opportunity are under review and will be discussed at a special meeting that Community Board 10 leaders are urging their residents to attend. The City Planning Commission believes the text amendment to the zoning laws is a way to “foster economic development through a variety of zoning tools.” It promises to update out-of-date terms and uses as well as create greater flexibility for businesses in commercial and manufacturing districts,” according to an announcement that Community Board 10 released just before Thanksgiving. CB10 expresses concern that the proposal, if approved, would bring commercial and manufacturing activities into residential streets in a way that harms the characteristics of quiet neighborhoods and would include activities not currently permitted along many of the residential corridors.

The public is invited to this Community Board 10 Zoning and Land Use Committee meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at St. Anselm Church’s Meletia Hall, 365 83rd Street in Bay Ridge. The meeting will also be live-streamed on YouTube.

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LOCAL LAW 61, EFFECTIVE NOV. 22, ADDS
HEIGHT, WEIGHT TO PROTECTED CATEGORIES

CITYWIDE — TWO NEW PROTECTED CATEGORIES THAT THE NYC COUNCIL APPROVED EARLIER THIS YEAR FOR THE NYC HUMAN RIGHTS LAW took effect on Wednesday, Nov. 22. A person’s height and weight can now be considered in holding employers accountable if they have “discriminatory practices” or policies causing them to treat the employee differently or adversely. Local Law 61 of 2023, which was enacted on May 26 of this year, added height and weight to other criteria such as race, creed, gender and disability. Several Brooklyn Councilmembers had co-introduced Local Law 61, including Lincoln Restler (D-33), Shahana Hanif (D-39), Crystal Hudson (D-35), Sandy Nurse (D-37) and Chi Osse (D-36), according to a digital copy of that document.

Abrams Fensterman, a leading Brooklyn law firm with offices in Downtown Brooklyn and in Lake Success (Nassau County), noted in its advisory that one’s weight is potentially more feasibly changed than height. The law firm is advising clients and companies to make sure all HR departments update their handbooks, policies and posters and advise supervisors accordingly.

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FDA: RECALLED FRUIT PRODUCT STILL BEING SOLD
HAS SICKENED CHILDREN

NATIONWIDE — ELEVATED BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN PERSONS WHO HAVE EATEN OR BEEN EXPOSED TO A FRUIT PUREE PRODUCT have led the Food & Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and partners at local levels to update a recall issued earlier this month. The FDA and CDC are also investigating more than 52 reports of adverse events as of Wednesday, Nov. 22, that are potentially linked to Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches manufactured in Ecuador and sold under WanaBana, Weis, and Schnucks brands. The confirmed complainants are the families of children between one and four years old. Moreover, not all the products have been removed from stock at retail stores; the FDA is aware that the recalled WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Puree is still on the shelves at several Dollar Tree stores in multiple states. The FDA’s investigation is ongoing to determine the point of contamination and whether additional products are linked to illnesses.

For proper and safe disposal, consumers and retailers are being advised to carefully open the pouch and empty the contents into a trash can before discarding the packaging. This will help prevent others from salvaging the recalled product from the trash.

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ADAMS: NYC HEIGHTENS SECURITY
FOLLOWING RAINBOW BRIDGE EXPLOSION

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAID NYC WILL SEE HEIGHTENED SECURITY following Wednesday’s explosion at the Rainbow Bridge in Buffalo, which is being investigated by the FBI and NYS Police. “The NYPD and our partners have already enhanced security, and the city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday, so the public will see increased security at locations across New York City, including entry and egress points into and out of the city. We have also reached out to, and are in ongoing communication with, partners from across different levels of government to assist with this effort,” Adams said in a release.

All four Western New York border crossings between the U.S. and Canada were closed following Wednesday’s incident, in which a car heading towards Canada exploded, killing at least one person inside. Amtrak has also suspended service into Canada, and Buffalo International Airport has closed, according to CNN.

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FOUR BRIDGES BETWEEN U.S. AND CANADA CLOSED
AFTER EXPLOSION AT RAINBOW BRIDGE

NIAGARA FALLS — ALL FOUR INTERNATIONAL BORDER CROSSINGS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CANADA in Western New York were closed Wednesday due to the explosion of a vehicle trying to enter Canada at the Rainbow Bridge, numerous sources reported Wednesday afternoon. “At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement, adding that she was on her way to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders.

According to the Niagara Gazette, the car “sped onto the bridge plaza, went through a fence separating the inbound lanes from the outbound lanes, and toward the inspection lanes where it exploded,” killing two occupants of the car.

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BROWNSVILLE FOOD PANTRY FACING FORECLOSURE
DUE TO PREVIOUS OWNER’S DEBTS

BROWNSVILLE — THE FAITH FORWARD CHURCH FOOD PANTRY IN BROWNSVILLE is at risk of foreclosure because the previous property owner missed mortgage payments and owed the bank nearly $1 million, NY1 reports. Pastor Vivian Grubb said he received a letter in September alerting him of the foreclosure and impending sale due to a lien on the property. The food pantry, which serves 400 people a week, has been in its current location for five years. Grubb said he knew there was a debt issue, but a court just ruled the bank can collect. “We just happen to be in the middle of this predicament,” Grubb told NY1.

The foreclosure sale was set to take place on Oct. 26, but a judge put a hold on the sale of the property. In the meantime, the church is trying to raise the money itself.

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ASSEMBLYMAN COLTON DONATES TURKEYS
TO CHURCHES, NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS

BATH BEACH TO GRAVESEND — ASSEMBLYMAN WILLIAM COLTON (D-47) THIS MONTH CONTINUED HIS LONGTIME TRADITION OF DISTRIBUTING THANKSGIVING TURKEYS to organizations serving the southern Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and Gravesend. The distribution began two weeks ago at the St. Athanasius Senior Center. Other recipients were St. Dominic Center, St. Mary Mother of Jesus, Most Precious Blood Church Senior Club, the Chinese American Social Services Center, the St. Finbar Senior Club, Our Lady of Grace Senior Club, the Marlboro Houses Senior Center, St. Simon & Jude Golden Age Senior Club, the Sephardic Center, the Narrows at the Lodge Older Adult Center, the Bensonhurst Center, the JCH Center, the M Marlboro Residents Association and the Health Essentials Senior Center. Cooked turkeys were sent to the NYPD’s 61st and 62nd Precinct houses through Lina Chan of Health Essentials.

Each of the organizations receives turkeys, which they will give to members selected through a free raffle or other means, as a thank-you from Colton for the work done on behalf of his constituents.

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BROOKLYN BUS DRIVER NABS PJ-WEARING TOTS
ON 5 A.M. ‘TARGET ADVENTURE’

EAST NEW YORK — AN ALERT MTA BUS DRIVER KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP when a 6-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother boarded his bus in East New York before sunrise, wearing pajamas and shorts. Marvin McLaurin, a dad of four, told THE CITY he was stunned when the two unaccompanied kids hopped aboard his B83 bus near Pennsylvania and Blake avenues just before 5:15 a.m. Once the bus arrived at the end of the route around 5:30 a.m., McLaurin said he asked the kids where they were headed. Their response: “On an adventure to Target.” McLaurin loaned the tots a sweater and jacket and called MTA supervisors and union officials.

THE CITY reported on Wednesday that the children were reunited with their parents at Brookdale Hospital, where they were evaluated, and the Administration for Children’s Service was notified.

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LANDER WARNS TESLA THAT MUSK’S SUPPORT
OF ANTISEMITISM POSES A FINANCIAL RISK

CITYWIDE — NYC COMPTROLLER BRAD LANDER WROTE TO TESLA’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS on Nov. 20 expressing concern about CEO Elon Musk’s explicit support of antisemitic statements on Twitter/X. On November 15, Musk stated that an blatantly antisemitic post on X was “the actual truth.” Lander said the dangerous language in the post poses a “material negative reputational and financial” threat to all of Musk’s portfolio companies including Tesla. The city’s retirement systems owned roughly $946 million worth of Tesla shares as of September 30. The stock has drifted down about 6.5% since then (as of Nov. 22).

The White House has condemned Musk’s comment, and major advertisers have pulled ads from Twitter/X. But Musk’s comment still remains active on the site, and the Tesla board has remained silent about the controversy contrary to Tesla’s Code of Business Ethics, Lander pointed out in his letter.

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COMPTROLLERS: EBAY MUST COMPLY
WITH WORKER AND HUMAN RIGHTS POLICIES

STATEWIDE — THE DIGITAL COMMERCE PLATFORM EBAY MUST COMPLY WITH ITS OWN STATED HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY AND RESTORE KEY LANGUAGE ON WORKER RIGHTS, wrote the Comptrollers of New York City and the state in a joint letter to the company’s board of directors. City Comptroller Brad Lander and State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who manage the public pension funds that invest in eBay, penned a joint letter to eBay’s Board of Directors urging them to take swift action to ensure that company management complies with eBay’s stated Human Rights Policy and to restores key language they removed from their stated commitment to worker rights, particularly to unionize. Lander and DiNapoli pointed out that policy plainly conveys that eBay must strive to conduct business consistent with the principles set forth in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Fundamental Conventions, which include freedom of association and collective bargaining as fundamental worker rights.

The city and state pension funds are long-term investors in eBay, with 2.5 million shares in the company valued at $111 million as of June 30, 2023.

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ELIGIBILITY FOR HALF-PRICED METROCARDS TO INCREASE — BUT RIDERS SAY NOT ENOUGH

CITYWIDE — NYC IS ABOUT TO INCREASE ELIGIBILITY FOR “FAIR FARE” HALF-PRICED METROCARDS, but riders said at a recent hearing it’s not enough because the definition of “low income” is based on the Federal Poverty level rather than the actual cost of living in New York City. The current Fair Fares rules provide that an applicant’s gross income must not exceed 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in order to qualify for the discount. The city plans to raise that to 120% on Dec. 16. People who commented on the NYC Rules website said even at the new rate, most low-income working people would still not be eligible.

“At 120%, the single mother of two that earns $35,000 a year will ‘make too much.’ A family of four with a single breadwinner earning $50,000 will ‘make too much.’ Essentially, all working New Yorkers will still make too much,” commented Derrick Holmes.

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MTA & BROOKLYN OFFICIALS CELEBRATE NEW ADA ELEVATORS AT PARK SLOPE’S 7TH AVE. STATION

PARK SLOPE — MTA CHAIR/CEO JANNO LIEBER, DISABLED RIDERS AND A HOST OF BROOKLYN OFFICIALS celebrated the opening of new ADA elevators at the 7th Avenue subway station serving the F/G lines on Tuesday. “Over the years, the Park Slope community has pushed hard to make this station accessible, and we have delivered,” Lieber said, adding that MTA was knocking out lifts with ADA accessibility “faster, better, and cheaper than ever before” using grant money from FTA and the design-build process. Former and current Brooklyn officials, including Comptroller Brad Lander, Borough President Antonio Reynoso, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, Councilmember Shahana Hanif and Assemblymember Robert Carroll, applauded the new elevators.

“As a disabled New Yorker, I know how difficult it can be to navigate our city’s subway system and how critical ADA accessibility is for our public transit network,” Hanif said.

Janno Lieber at an NYC subway elevator. — Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA

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NYPD ARRESTS WOMAN WHO ACCOSTED FAMILY; CHARGES INCLUDE HATE CRIME

FORT GREENE — POLICE HAVE ARRESTED THE WOMAN WHO TWO WEEKS AGO THREW COFFEE IN THE FACE OF A MAN with his child at Edmonds Playground in Fort Greene, an NYPD public affairs officer told the Eagle by phone on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and then later announced in an email (Patch also reported that the woman, whose name police spell as Hadasa Bozakkaravani, 48, of Ashland Place, was arrested on Nov. 21). She faces nine charges, including hate crime, assault, aggravated endangerment and harassment in connection with the Nov. 7 attack at Edmonds Playground. The woman was caught on video making anti-Muslim comments and hurling a hot coffee at the man, who was playing with his son. The man was wearing a keffiyeh, a scarf internationally recognized as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. As of press time, the NYPD did not yet have information on an arraignment date for Bozakkaravani.

City Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents this neighborhood within Community District 2, commended the victim, Ashish Prashar, for the courage to share his story, published in New York Magazine on Nov. 20.

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UNEMPLOYMENT UP ACROSS NY STATE, WITH THE BRONX, BROOKLYN THE HIGHEST

STATEWIDE — UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASED ACROSS NYS IN OCTOBER 2023 compared to October 2022, with The Bronx and Brooklyn underperforming the rest of the state, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by the NYS Department of Labor. In Brooklyn, the unemployment rate jumped to 6.1% in October 2023 from 5.2% in October 2022. The unemployment rate in the Bronx was 7.3% this past October, compared to 6.8% in 2022. The state’s unemployment rate increased overall to 4.4% in October 2023, compared to 3.7% last year.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits nationwide increased to a three-month high in early November, Reuters reported, suggesting that the labor market was cooling overall.

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FORMER CORRECTIONS OFFICER SENTENCED FOR SMUGGLING AT RIKERS AND IN BROOKLYN

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A FORMER NEW YORK CITY CORRECTION OFFICER HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 29 months’ imprisonment for accepting nearly $10,000 in bribe payments in exchange for smuggling contraband into Rikers Island and, later, to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto presided at the Tuesday, Nov. 21 sentencing of former New York City correction officer Krystle Burrell. Court documents showed that Burrell accepted nearly $10,000 in bribes from co-conspirators on behalf of co-defendant Terrae Hinds in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island. Burrell also accepted payments on behalf of Hinds for narcotics and other contraband so that Hinds could resell the contraband on Rikers Island. Later, after pleading guilty and being released on bail, Burrell again conspired with Hinds, who had been transferred to the Brooklyn detention center.

This past March, Burrell was charged with the later crime. Hinds, who had already pleaded guilty, also awaits sentencing.

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THREE ‘ZOMBIE’ CHARTER SCHOOLS SET TO OPEN NEXT YEAR IN BROOKLYN

BOROUGH-WIDE — THREE NEW CHARTER SCHOOL WILL BE OPENING IN BROOKLYN beginning next year, BKReader reports. They include Bed-Stuy New Beginnings Charter School 2, Kwenda Collegiate Girls Charter in Central Brooklyn and Math, Engineering, and Science Academy High School 2 in Bushwick. The three schools were originally approved by the State University of New York Trustees in 2019 but were unable to move forward because of the charter cap.

In her 2024 budget proposal, Hochul promised to lift the cap, particularly for “zombie” charter schools, which refers to schools that were closed or never opened, including these three, according to BKReader.

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SCHUMER UNVEILS BILL ALLOWING FAMILIES TO FLY TOGETHER AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

NATIONWIDE — U.S. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER ON MONDAY UNVEILED THE ‘FAMILIES FLY TOGETHER ACT,’ NY1 reported. His proposed legislation would make it easier for parents to sit near their children under 13 with no additional fees outside the base ticket costs.

“Whether it’s Thanksgiving or any other time, airlines should not be forcing parents to plead once they get on the plane to sit with their kids or forcing parents into a game of musical chairs,” Schumer said.

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LATEST USDA RECALL INVOLVES FRUITS WITH POSSIBLE LISTERIA TOXINS

NATIONWIDE — PEACHES, PLUMS AND NECTARINES from HMC Farms, both in bags and in cardboard containers, have been recalled effective Nov. 17, following a threat of foodborne illness-causing Listeria, the United States Department of Agriculture reports. The HMC Group Marketing, Inc., which does business as HMC Farms, is voluntarily recalling peaches, plums and nectarines that were sold in retail stores nationwide between May 1 and Nov. 15, 2022, and the same period this year. While the affected fruits are no longer in stores, the USDA is concerned that people who may have frozen this produce could potentially become ill when consuming it and is urging anyone with this fruit to discard it.

The fruit is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

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BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL ISSUES RFP TO BUILD DIGITAL INNOVATION PORTAL

DUMBO — BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL (BAC) HAS ISSUED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AS THE ORGANIZATION seeks software development services for the upcoming Brooklyn Innovation Portal (BIP) to connect artists to resources, opportunities and each other. Building on BAC’s work of supporting Brooklyn artists, this open site, subscription-service platform will give BAC’s dynamic audience access to investing in both artist content and Brooklyn communities. BAC is now in search of a firm that will deliver Phase I of the BIP as a digital embodiment of BAC’s core work with artists, aiming to develop a mobile-responsive web portal to become the go-to resource for participants in Brooklyn’s creative economy. Formal bids are due Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, by 5 p.m. ET. Questions concerning this RFP must be addressed in writing to Emma Cookson via email at [email protected] no later than Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, at 12 p.m. ET.

BAC envisions the digital resource to have several functions among them: media libraries with content for creative wellness, professional development, and art engagement.

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REP. GOLDMAN, HOUSE DEMOCRATS ACCUSE X PLATFORM OF PROFITING FROM HATE SPEECH

CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D-10/Western Brooklyn) is leading a group of Congressmembers in accusing Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) of “profiting off violent content by a terrorist organization.” The House Democrats demand that Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino address Hamas-related content on the social media platform. They also want to know what changes the company “plans to implement to ensure that the harmful spread of terrorist propaganda does not happen again.” The Congressmembers wrote that the already “inexcusable” issue of antisemitic content on X had become “outright indefensible” since the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel by militants from Hamas, which the US has labeled as a terror group since 1997.

Goldman and other House Democrats pointed out that much of this content violates X’s platform policies, which prohibit “engaging in or promoting violent acts” and “recruiting, providing or distributing services (such as media/propaganda) to further stated goals.”

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FDA WARNS AGAINST USE OF NEPTUNE’S FIX, CITING DANGEROUS AND ILLEGAL INGREDIENTS

NATIONWIDE — THE US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION IS WARNING CONSUMERS NOT TO BUY NEPTUNE’S FIX, A POPULAR PRODUCT SOLD IN BODEGAS AND GAS STATION STORES to help people focus. Neptune’s Fix products contain tianeptine — a potentially dangerous substance not FDA-approved for any medical use but illegally sold with claims to improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder and other conditions. The FDA has received severe adverse event reports after use of Neptune‘s Fix products, including seizures and loss of consciousness leading to hospitalization. Consumers who experience a bad reaction to any tianeptine product should seek immediate medical help.

Neptune’s Fix is usually purchased at gas stations, vape or smoke shops, and online. The product is believed to also contain other harmful but unlisted ingredients.

FDA recalled elixir: Neptune's Fix, image courtesy the FDA. — Neptune’s Fix, image courtesy of the FDA.

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NY’S COMPOSTING REGULATIONS UPHELD AS A MODEL FOR OTHERS

STATEWIDE — NEW YORK STATE’S COMPOSTING REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN PRAISED AND IDENTIFIED AS A MODEL for others, according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. New York State was recently applauded for its composting regulations, which have created a friendly regulatory environment for composting facilities to transition to composting food scraps, not just yard trimmings, and developed a friendly environment for small-scale food scrap operations. As part of a study to better understand the viability of retrofitting existing composting infrastructure, the Composting Consortium worked with Coker Composting & Consulting and BioCycle Connect to evaluate if state composting regulations would help or hinder the use of existing yard waste composting infrastructure to process food waste and food-contact compostable packaging.

New York was the only state among the 50 assessed to have a dark green final Infrastructure Retrofit Score because the team determined that the DEC’s regulatory framework serves as a model for other states to utilize.