What’s News, Breaking: Monday, December 4, 2023

December 4, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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RALLY IN THE RAIN
HUNDREDS SHOW UP TO PROTEST
PROPOSED HOMELESS SHELTER

BATH BEACH/GRAVESEND — THE RAIN DID NOT DETER SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE IN BATH BEACH ON SUNDAY, DEC. 3, FOR A RALLY TO PROTEST a planned homeless shelter at 25th Ave. and 86th St. Assemblymember William Colton (D-47/Bath Beach to Bensonhurst) organized the rally as part of his ongoing fight to prevent what he asserts is developer profit at the expense of homeless persons and the neighborhood. Joining Colton was City Councilmember-Elect Susan Zhuang. Assemblyman Colton’s staff collected 100 pages of signatures from rally attendees on a petition opposing the shelter. Meanwhile, a concurrent online petition grew from 2,000 to 3,000 signatures over the weekend. The shelter, planned for 2501 86th St., would enrich only the developer, Colton said, identifying that party as Tejpal Sandhu of 86th Street NY LLC, who was also the developer behind the shelter originally planned for 2147 Bath Avenue. Colton had spearheaded another community protest against opening a shelter at that proposed site.

Assemblyman Colton said the city spends some $8 billion a year on homeless shelters, “Yet there are more homeless people, not fewer.”

Assemblymember Colton speaks from the podium; Councilmember-elect Susan Zhuang stands to his left.
Photo courtesy Office of Assemblyman Colton

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ADAMS SIGNS BIOTECH TAX CREDIT BILL AIMED AT STARTUPS

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SIGNED A BILL MONDAY that will bolster New York City’s life sciences and biotech sectors by reviving a tax incentive for growing biotech companies. The bill, sponsored by Brooklyn Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez (Greenpoint, Williamsburg) and Queens Councilmember James F. Gennaro, creates a tax credit for biotech companies with a capped annual benefit of $3 million to target-growing startups, such as biotech firms at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Biotech and life science companies employ 20,000 New Yorkers, Adams said.

“By reinstating this tax credit, we will be able to stimulate growth in this essential manufacturing sector by fostering investment, offering incentives to qualified emerging technology companies, and paving the way for new job opportunities,” Gutiérrez, chair of the Council’s Committee on Technology, said in a statement.

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JAY-Z AUCTIONING OFF CUSTOM LIBRARY CARDS TO BENEFIT BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOROUGH-WIDE — TO WRAP UP BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S ‘BOOK OF HOV’ EXHIBITION, which closes Dec. 4, legendary rapper Jay-Z is auctioning off a signed black leather Pinel et Pinel briefcase filled with custom metal library cards showcasing his album artwork from across the decades, Artnet reports. The sale is hosted by Christie’s New York and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company, and all proceeds will go toward the Brooklyn Public Library. The Book of HOV installation resulted in a more than 50% rise in new library card registrations.

The single-lot sale, “JAY-Z: The Book of HOV Celebrating an Icon at the Brooklyn Public Library,” will take place online at christies.com through Dec. 5, and the lot is on display at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries.

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WILLIAMSBURG’S CENTURY-OLD KELLOG’S DINER TRANSFORMING INTO TEX-MEX

WILLIAMSBURG — THE 96-YEAR-OLD KELLOG’S DINER IN WILLIAMSBURG, which has been operating on the corner of Metropolitan and Union avenues since 1928, is turning into an all-night Tex-Mex restaurant with food and cocktails, Eater reports. The bankrupt diner has been sold to Louis Skibar, who owns the Manhattan diners Coppelia and Old John’s, and it will be run by Jackie Carnesi, an alum of the Brooklyn restaurants Nura and Roberta’s. Kellog’s will close soon for renovations and reopen in February. Its retro dining room is getting an update that includes a new cocktail bar, Skibar told Eater.

In the meantime, Kellogg’s is open with a shorter menu that has steak frites, smash burgers, chicken pot pie and more.

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CRAIN’S: CITY POINT’S RETAIL SECTION NOW
85% LEASED, WITH NEW STORES COMING IN

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — REAL ESTATE LEASING AT THE CITY POINT MIXED-USE COMPLEX IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN HAS REBOUNDED significantly since the departure of anchor tenant Century 21 that closed stores following a pandemic-related bankruptcy proceeding, according to a Crain’s New York Business report. Acadia Realty Trust, based in Westchester, announced last week that it has leased nearly 29,000 square feet of retail space, over separate transactions, at its 1.8 million-square-foot City Point complex at 445 Albee Square West. Brazilian steakhouse restaurant chain Fogo de Chao, the beauty store chain Sephora, the Midtown East-based entertainment group The Escape Room, the primary care provider One Medical and the pet care group GoodVets will open locations at City Point within the next year, Crains reported. AJ Levine, senior vice president of Acadia, told Crain’s that City Point’s retail component is now 85% leased.

These major lease contracts come on the heels of two other deals, with the tennis club Court 16 and restaurant group Dig.

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REPORT: ADAMS ADMIN CANCELED NUMEROUS FDNY INSPECTIONS IN BROOKLYN TO LET FAT CATS JUMP THE LINE

CITYWIDE — THE FBI AND FEDERAL PROSECUTORS are examining a list of VIPs to see if big-money applicants and connected developers like The Related Companies, Vornado and Amazon were allowed to cut the fire-inspection line by the Adams administration in exchange for their financial support of the mayor, THE CITY reports. Fire chiefs raised these concerns soon after Adams was elected, emails show. In the spring of 2022, the department canceled scheduled inspections at 12 sites, nine in Brooklyn, to move up the inspections of fat cats like 50 Hudson Yards. The canceled inspections included diverse, overcrowded P.S. 112 in Dyker Heights, three small multi-family row house conversions in Sunset Park and the Brooklyn Independent Middle School in Fort Greene.

Some of these VIPs contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Adams’ 2021 campaign or financially supported programs championed by the mayor. Others heavily lobbied top mayoral officials, including Adams’ former chief of staff, Frank Carone.

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PANEL DISCUSSION ON BARBRA STREISAND’S MEMOIR IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS WEDNESDAY

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN NATIVE AND LIVING LEGEND Barbra Streisand’s autobiography “My Name Is Barbra,” (called “chatty and candid” by the New York Times) is the subject of a panel discussion, moderated by filmmaker Ethan Fuirst with panelists Maris Kreizman, Soraya Nadia McDonald and Jonathan Tolins at the Center for Brooklyn History, 128 Pierrepont Street on Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Brooklyn Heights Blog reports.

Following the discussion there will be a performance of a “Streisand inspired number” by Brooklyn-based cabaret and drag artist Ella Fartzgerald. More information and RSVP instructions can be found online.

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MILLION DOLLAR MEGA MILLIONS TICKET SOLD IN GRAVESEND

GRAVESEND — CHECK YOUR TICKETS: A PERSON WHO BOUGHT A MEGA MILLIONS LOTTERY TICKET AT 288 SAMS DELI on Avenue U in Gravesend, Brooklyn for the Dec. 1 drawing is a million dollars richer, New York Lottery announced Saturday. The lucky ticket buyer won second prize in the drawing, matching five numbers but not the Mega Ball. No one perfectly matched all six numbers to win the jackpot worth $355 million. Mega Millions drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET.

The winning numbers for Dec. 1 were 12, 47, 49, 52, 65, and the Mega Ball was 12.

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NEW REPORT FROM SEN. GILLIBRAND
SHOWS LAW’S SUCCESS IN GUN SEIZURES

CITYWIDE — A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND REPORT ON ARRESTS AND ILLEGAL GUNS SEIZED UNDER A BIPARTISAN ANTI-GUN TRAFFICKING LAW reveals that more than 1,300 illegal guns have been seized by law enforcement. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released her report on Monday, Dec. 4, at NYPD headquarters, standing with Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and his counterparts in the other boroughs. Gillibrand’s ground-breaking report analyzes the initial successes of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA)’s anti-gun trafficking section and mental health funding distribution. The report also found that 200 defendants have been charged under BSCA’s new gun trafficking statute, at least 190 of the seized guns were AR-15s or AR-style weapons, and at least 151 were ghost guns.

The data also revealed that more than $750 million has been distributed to fund mental and behavioral health services nationwide, which will also support the hiring of over 14,000 new mental health professionals in schools.

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FDA: RECALL ISSUED ON SOME HANUKKAH GELT CANDY BAGS

TRI-STATE REGION — MANISCHEWITZ, A LEADING BRAND OF KOSHER FOODS, HAS ISSUED A PRODUCT MISLABELING ADVISORY AND VOLUNTARY RECALL ON SOME VERY LIMITED UNITS OF THEIR DARK CHOCOLATE COINS, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the FDA announced. The candy coins, which were distributed in the tri-state region, including New York, from Sept. 26-Nov. 28, may contain undeclared milk that could cause serious or life-threatening reactions to consumers with dairy allergies. This recall was initiated on Dec. 1 (a week before Hanukkah, which begins on Dec. 7) after Manischewitz’s Quality Control Department discovered that a limited number of bags labeled as “Dark Chocolate Coins” contained Milk Chocolate Coins, which contain a milk allergen not declared on the label. Thus far, only packages bearing Lot Code 2283 and the Display Box UPC 072700200356 may potentially have gold (dairy) coins in the “dark-chocolate tagged” bag.

Chocolate coins, also called Hanukkah Gelt, are chocolates wrapped in gold foil, and distributed and eaten during the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, as a sweet lesson in the importance of charity.

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PUBLIC MEETING WILL GIVE UPDATES ON
CITY DOT’S TRAFFIC AND TRUCK STUDY

RED HOOK — PUBLIC MEETING #2 ON THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION’S RED HOOK TRAFFIC AND TRUCK STUDY takes place this Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m., to provide updates to the community on its findings, Congressman Dan Goldman (D-10) announced over the weekend. Responding to congestion due to the continued growth and changing land uses in the area, NYC DOT launched a study of traffic and trucks in Red Hook and is hosting its second public meeting to present the status and to listen to community members’ transportation issues and concerns. The meeting will be held at the Joseph Miccio Cornerstone Community Center at 110 W. 9th St., more information is available online.

Other Brooklyn elected officials representing Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and the Columbia waterfront, have written a letter to the NYPD Traffic Bureau requesting an increase in enforcement along Columbia Street after constituents complained about a “noticeable uptick” in commercial truck traffic around the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE).

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OFFICIALS ASK NYPD TO MANAGE SURGE IN TRUCK TRAFFIC ON COLUMBIA STREET

COLUMBIA WATERFRONT — BROOKLYN OFFICIALS REPRESENTING COBBLE HILL, CARROLL GARDENS AND THE COLUMBIA WATERFRONT have written a letter to the NYPD Traffic Bureau requesting an increase in enforcement along Columbia Street, after constituents complained about a “noticeable uptick” in commercial truck traffic around the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE), Councilmember Shahana Hanif said in a release. This has led to increased congestion on local roads, making many of them more dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. The problem is particularly noticeable along Columbia Street and Atlantic Avenue to Columbia Street and Hamilton Avenue, Hanif said.

The letter was signed by Hanif, Councilmember Lincoln Restler, Assemblymembers Jo Anne Simon and Robert Carroll, and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes.

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CHINESE DEVELOPER TO LOSE CONTROL OF BROOKLYN’S PACIFIC PARK, AKA ATLANTIC YARDS

ATLANTIC YARDS — GREENLAND USA, A SUBSIDIARY OF CHINA’S STATE-OWNED GREENLAND GROUP, is set to lose control of Brooklyn’s controversial 22-acre Pacific Park — formerly known as Atlantic Yards — after defaulting on nearly $350 million worth of loans, The Real Deal reports. Ground was broken on Pacific Park a decade ago but the project became mired in delays. The developer was facing a 2025 deadline to complete Pacific Park’s affordable housing, according to TRD.

The auction is scheduled for Jan. 11.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO SHOT TWO ON C TRAIN IN BROOKLYN

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT TWO COMMUTERS — a 17-year-old man and a 57-year-old male bystander — on a moving C train as it was approaching Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn around 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Cops said the stranger approached the 17-year-old and engaged him in a dispute before pulling out a gun and firing off multiple rounds. The young man was hit in the left hand and the bystander in the left ankle, and the suspect fled by foot on Ralph Avenue. The victims were transported to an area hospital in stable condition. The suspect is described as a male with a medium complexion, roughly 20 years old. He was last seen wearing a green jacket, blue jeans and black and white sneakers.

Anyone with 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), or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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DELIVERISTAS WIN COURT BATTLE FOR MINIMUM WAGE

STATEWIDE — FOOD APP DELIVERY WORKERS ON THURSDAY WON THE RIGHT TO BE PAID MINIMUM WAGE after the state Supreme Court’s Appellate Division denied an appeal filed by app companies DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber to pay delivery workers the equivalent of $12.69 per hour, less than the 2019 minimum wage of $15 an hour. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, at the time a Council Member, was the lead sponsor of the original bill to establish a minimum wage for deliveristas.

“Today deliveristas won a monumental, long-overdue minimum pay rate that they so rightly deserve. As essential workers with grueling conditions, they deserve a pay standard that is not dictated by the whims of apps companies or by how many food orders they can achieve in an hour,” Lander said in a release on Thursday.

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FAMILY SUES WOODHULL HOSPITAL FOR $42M OVER WOMAN’S DEATH DURING CHILDBIRTH

BUSHWICK AND DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE FAMILY OF A BROOKLYN WOMAN WHO DIED AFTER GIVING BIRTH IS SUING THE HOSPITAL FOR $42 MILLION with prominent civil rights attorney Sanford Rubenstein representing them. The Daily News reported on Friday, Dec. 1, that 30-year-old Christine Fields on Nov. 11 walked into Woodhull Hospital — which is part of the NYC Health + Hospitals public health system — to deliver her baby boy. The family, who said that Ms. Fields’ had experienced a normal pregnancy, claims in the litigation that the hospital ordered an emergency C-section over her objections, and that medical malpractice was responsible for Fields’ death, Rubenstein said. The yet-unborn baby’s heart rate had dropped and the hospital rushed Fields into surgery, where the newborn was delivered alive and healthy. The family is awaiting autopsy reports, the Daily News reported.

“Three children, ages 3, 5 and a newborn infant, will now be raised without a mother,’ said the family’s attorney Sanford Rubinstein. “This is tragic. This family had no reason to think this wasn’t going to be a healthy childbirth.”

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REP. MALLIOTAKIS VOTES TO EXPEL FELLOW REPUBLICAN GEORGE SANTOS

BAY RIDGE AND CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN’S ONLY REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF CONGRESS, REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-11), WAS AMONG THOSE VOTING TO EXPEL fellow GOP Rep. George Santos. Malliotakis, who serves southwestern Brooklyn and Staten Island, issued a statement after her vote, stating, “Earlier this year, the House requested the Ethics Committee conduct an investigation into the allegations against George Santos; they issued 38 subpoenas, interviewed 40 witnesses, and reviewed 170,000 pages of documents. Based on the evidence produced by their thorough investigation, it’s crystal clear that he improperly used campaign donations to purchase luxury goods, botox, make OnlyFans payments, and even committed credit card fraud against some members of this body and their families.”

Santos’ “actions are unbecoming of a Member of Congress and he has been nothing but a stain on our institution who lost the trust of both his constituents and colleagues,” declared Malliotakis.

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GOOGLE: IF YOU USE THE CHROME BROWSER, UPDATE IT IMMEDIATELY

WORLDWIDE — PEOPLE USE WHO THE CHROME BROWSER FOR WINDOWS, MAC OR LINUX are urged to immediately install an emergency security update released by Google on Nov. 28. Google has acknowledged that the vulnerability is already being exploited, adding to the urgency. Security researchers, forming part of the Google Threat Analysis Group, discovered and reported the vulnerability on Nov. 24, PCMagazine reports. Users of Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi are also advised to apply the fixes when they become available, The Hacker News reports.

If Chrome users haven’t enabled automatic updates on their computers and devices, they can visit Google’s support page to manually obtain the latest version of Chrome.

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POLYCHORAL MUSIC FROM 1600S HEADED TO BROOKLYN CATHEDRAL

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — MORE THAN 300 STUDENTS FROM CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS BROOKLYN AND QUEENS recently attended a rehearsal of rarely-performed pieces of Baroque Polychoral music dating from 1600s Venice at the stunning Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn, in preparation for concerts to be held on Dec. 8 and 9. In Polychoral music, multiple choirs are positioned at different locations to produce what has been called “one of the most magnificent sounds ever created.” In the 1600s, people traveled from across the globe to experience the music, including Marc Antoine Charpentier, whose “Mass for Four Choirs” and “Te Deum” will be included in the upcoming performances.

Free tickets are available on Eventbrite for “A Polychoral Christmas,” presented by The MACC Ensemble with The Unsung Collective.

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POLICE SEEK MAN ACCUSED OF STRIKING STRANGER IN FACE WITH BOTTLE

CYPRESS HILLS — POLICE SAY A MAN WAS MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS ON FULTON STREET in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, at 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, when a stranger walked up to him and struck him in the face with a glass bottle. The victim was transported by EMS to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in stable condition. Now, police have released a photo of the suspect and are seeking the public’s help finding him. The individual is described as male with a dark complexion and slim build, last seen wearing a black hooded jacket.

Anyone with 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), or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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FTX CEO BANKMAN-FRIED REPORTEDLY HIT UP FOR ‘PROTECTION’ PAYMENTS IN BROOKLYN JAIL

SUNSET PARK — FORMER FTX CRO SAM BANKMAN-FRIED was reportedly hit up for protection payments during his pretrial detention time at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Cointeligraph reports. New York mob enforcer-turned-informant Gene Borrello claimed in an interview that he spent time with Bankman-Fried, who was “out of his element” in jail.

Other prisoners saw the former crypto mogul as timid, having “the body of the 80-year-old,” and presumed to have access to money, Borrello said.

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STATE DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN PLEDGES TO WORK ASSIDUOUSLY TO NOMINATE SANTOS’ REPLACEMENT

STATEWIDE — CALLING GEORGE SANTOS’ EXPULSION “A HUGE WIN FOR DECENCY, HONESTY, AND THE RULE OF LAW,” NY State Democratic Committee Chairman Jay S. Jacobs said that the Dec. 1 House vote “ends a sorry chapter in the history of our county and our country.” Jacobs pledged to work closely with Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Queens Democratic Chair, Gregory Meeks and “to nominate the most qualified candidate with the best chance of success in the upcoming Special Election to fill the 3rd Congressional seat.”

According to the State Democratic Committee’s website, Jacobs, who previously served as the Nassau County Chairman of the Democratic party, is credited with helping flip the balance of power for five New York State Senate races in Nassau County, including electing the first-ever Iranian-American New York State Senator, and the first-ever Indian-American New York State Senator.

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REP. GOLDMAN: ‘THE PEOPLE OF NY-03 WILL NOW HAVE A REAL REPRESENTATIVE’ IN CONGRESS

CAPITOL HILL — BROOKLYN CONGRESSMAN DAN GOLDMAN (D-10) on Friday morning, Dec. 1, met with former Rep. George Santos’ constituents, particularly a group identified as the Concerned Citizens of NY-03, to advocate for Santos’ expulsion. Following the expulsion vote, Goldman stated that, in trying to protect a narrow majority, House Republicans put their own interests first and left the citizens of New York’s 3rd Congressional District (parts of Queens and Nassau County) “without real representation in Congress.” Calling out Rep. Elise Stefanik in particular, Goldman denounced the action of the “more than half of House Republicans” who voted against Santos’ expulsion. “Despite their best efforts, the Congress of the United States won today. But more importantly, the people of NY-03 will now have a real representative in the House.”

Congressman Goldman had submitted the original complaint to the Ethics Committee about Santos that resulted in the scathing 56-page report from the Committee that preceded Friday’s vote.

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GOVERNOR HOCHUL: NEED LEADERS WHO WILL SERVE, ‘FIGHT FOR’ NEW YORK

STATEWIDE — DECLARING, “I’M GLAD HE’S GONE,” GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ON FRIDAY SPOKE WITH SPECTRUM NEW YORK 1 NEWS after the vote to expel George Santos from Congress, his brief career in the House, and the adverse impact she believes he had on New York. “When you look at his lack of ethics and the fact that, you know, he has not served the people of our state, particularly New York 3 where he resides, it’s been an abysmal run for him. And he has not done what he has to do for New Yorkers…I need people I can work with to fight for New York, to bring federal money to our state, to create jobs and opportunities. And George Santos just took up space.”

A governor has, by law, 10 days after a vacancy in the House of Representatives to issue a proclamation for a special election. The special election must then be scheduled 60-70 days from the date the proclamation is issued.