What’s News, Breaking: Thursday, December 7, 2023

December 7, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GRACE CHURCH WILL MARK 175TH BIRTHDAY
WITH PERIOD, COMMEMORATIVE WORSHIP

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — GRACE CHURCH BROOKLYN HEIGHTS WILL CELEBRATE THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FIRST SERVICE, this Sunday, Dec. 10. The Episcopal parish, founded in 1847 and which outgrew a previous location on Sidney Place, built its own church and on Dec. 10, 1848 — also a Sunday — held its first worship service in the new sanctuary. The 175th-anniversary service begins at 10 a.m., in lieu of the usual three morning liturgies that the parish offers. This service will follow the Morning Prayer Rite I liturgy, as would have been done in 1848, with period-appropriate Scripture readings, prayers and music.

The service will also give an opportunity to reflect on words that may have been spoken at that first worship service. Nowadays, the Holy Eucharist is the standard liturgy for all Sunday services in the Episcopal Church.

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HOUSE LEADER PRAISES NC COLLEAGUE’S RECORD
AFTER SHE ANNOUNCES SHE WON’T RUN AGAIN

CAPITOL HILL — HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER AND BROOKLYN CONGRESSMAN HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-08) is expressing regret that his colleague, Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina, has chosen not to seek re-election. Manning, who has served her state’s 6th Congressional District in Greensboro (and the Triad cities of Winston-Salem and High Point) since 2021, announced in local and national media her consternation over gerrymandering that has diluted her constituents’ vote, placing them in a minority. House Democratic Leader Jeffries said, “Throughout her time in the People’s House, Rep. Manning has worked to expand access to early childhood education, invest in workforce development programs and protect our nation’s most vulnerable. As Vice Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, Kathy has been a champion for the U.S.-Israel relationship and one of our strongest voices fighting against antisemitism and supporting the safety and security of Jewish communities around the world.”

Earlier this year, Rep. Manning planned to run for re-election. The North Carolina GOP pushed through new maps that will favor their party, although lawsuits filed earlier this week by civil rights groups allege racial gerrymandering — which is illegal.

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COMMUNITY GROUP FIGHTS TO PROTECT COMPOSTING PROGRAM

NORTH BROOKLYN/COMMUNITY BOARD 1 — THE GROUP NORTH BROOKLYN NEIGHBORS IS FIGHTING THE CITY’S ELIMINATION OF A RECENTLY-LAUNCHED COMPOSTING PROGRAM, and is urging Brooklynites to sign a petition. The city, which attributes the program’s elimination to steep budget cuts, announced that all community composting would end by early 2024, thus eliminating green jobs, educational programs and the supply of high-quality compost to local gardens.

The organic waste collected in the brown compost-collection bins is turned into a bioslurry and is taken to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility. While it is supposed to be used to create energy, recent exposés have shown that already many years delayed, this program is not functioning properly; moreover, there was a delay in the rollout of the curbside brown bin program.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES SUES NCAA
OVER RULE BENCHING TRANSFER STUDENTS

NATIONWIDE — THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION’S RULE BENCHING STUDENT ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER BETWEEN SCHOOLS WITHIN DIVISION I is being challenged in court. NY Attorney General Letitia James leads a bipartisan coalition in filing a federal antitrust lawsuit that challenges the NCAA’s transfer eligibility rule, which requires college athletes who transfer among Division I schools to wait one year before competing in games, essentially penalizing them for their circumstances. The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA rule is an illegal restraint on college athletes’ ability to market their labor and control their education.

“Forcing college athletes to wait a year after transferring schools before they participate in their sport means missed opportunities, lost memories, and diminished chances to further their career and personal growth,” said Attorney General James. “This NCAA policy forces college athletes to remain at institutions they want to leave, or risk being benched for the sake of a better educational opportunity.”

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NYS PROVIDING $150M FINANCING FOR CITY WATER TUNNEL NO. 3

CITYWIDE — THE NYS ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITIES CORP. APPROVED $164 MILLION IN SHORT-TERM FINANCING for water infrastructure improvement projects across the state — but the vast majority of the financing, $150 million, will assist in funding the excavation and construction of a section of NYC’s 60-mile-long City Tunnel No. 3, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday. The partially-constructed Tunnel No. 3, which the New York Times called “the largest capital construction project in New York City history,” will provide the city with a third connection to its upstate water supply. Construction began in 1970, and the tunnel section bringing water to Manhattan is already operational.

This round of financing will help build Tunnel No. 3’s Shafts 17B-1 and 18B-1 in Queens.

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CITY SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR JANUARY 2024
HOMELESS OUTREACH POPULATION SURVEY

CITYWIDE — VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE ANNUAL NYC HOMELESS OUTREACH POPULATION ESTIMATE to be conducted next month, as it is each January, according to a notice conveyed via Community Board 10. NYC’s Department of Social Services, the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services will conduct its annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) survey, a point-in-time survey undertaken each winter on particularly cold nights to determine the number of unsheltered New Yorkers on the streets. The coming survey will be done overnight on Jan. 23, 2024, and volunteers are needed from about 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Prospective volunteers may learn more and register online.

Results of the Jan. 24, 2023 survey, viewable on the same website, showed that an estimated 4,042 individuals experienced unsheltered homelessness that night, with increases from the previous year of those sheltering in the subways. The migrant crisis, which has since developed, is expected to spike numbers.

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL TISH JAMES SUPPORTS
ATF RULE ON GUN SELLER BACKGROUND CHECKS

NATIONWIDE — A PROPOSED BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES INVOLVING GUN BACKGROUND CHECKS has the support of New York Attorney General Letitia James. She and her Massachusetts counterpart Andrea Campbell led a multistate coalition of 21 attorneys general on Thursday, Dec. 7, to support the rule, which would subject more gun sales to background checks. After Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, ATF proposed a new regulation to clarify the definition of being “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms, and therefore require these dealers to obtain a license and run background checks when selling guns. The new rule would close loopholes that allowed the unlicensed sale of firearms, including online and at gun shows.

Noting that online gun sellers and those liquidating the inventories of licensed gun sellers are common sources of guns used in crimes, the attorneys general coalition urges ATF to hold those illegally selling firearms accountable instead of encouraging them to become licensed gun dealers.

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GOLDMAN REBUKES GOP HOUSE MEMBERS
ON ‘SHAM, PARTISAN’ IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

CAPITOL HILL — U.S. REP. DAN GOLDMAN OF BROOKLYN (D-10) in a statement released on Thursday, Dec. 7, is accusing House Republicans of weaponing Congress for revenge. Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair James Comer (R-KY) had launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden who, while vice president, was accused of being involved in a criminal scheme with a foreign national, and his son Hunter’s business dealings. Goldman pointed out, “President Biden and his administration have gone above and beyond to cooperate with this baseless fishing expedition. Contrary to [the situation with] Donald Trump, who turned over zero documents during his first impeachment inquiry, the Committee has received more than 37,000 pages of private financial records, 2,000 pages of Treasury Department financial reports, more than 20,000 pages of documents from the National Archives, tax records and confidential investigative documents from the IRS, and the FBI FD-1023 from the Biden administration.”

Calling the impeachment inquiry a “sham,” Goldman said, “The fatal flaw of this investigation is not a failure to follow the facts included in the documents, materials and testimony. It is that those facts do not support their predetermined and baseless allegations.”

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ADAMS’ QUINNIPIAC POLL NUMBERS HAVE SUNK TO DISMAL LOW — WORST IN POLL HISTORY

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS’ POLL NUMBERS HAVE SUNK TO A RECORD LOW according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, Dec. 6. In the poll, 58% of 1,300 registered voters across all five boroughs gave the mayor a negative rating, while only 28% approved of his job performance (14% had no opinion). The mayor scored poorly on his handling of crime, migrants, homelessness, city budget cuts and public schools. Participants also felt Adams was not honest or trustworthy, lacks strong leadership qualities and doesn’t understand the problems of people like them.

“There’s no good news for Mayor Adams in this poll,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mary Snow. “Not only are voters giving him poor grades on the job he’s doing at City Hall, their views on his character have dimmed.”

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PUBLIC ADVOCATE WILLIAMS INTRODUCES STREET VENDOR SUPPORT BILL

CITYWIDE — AS THE CITY MOVES TO REMOVE STREET VENDORS FROM THE CROWDED BROOKLYN BRIDGE WALKWAY, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Wednesday introduced new legislation in the City Council aimed at providing street vendors with city support, the same as other New York City small businesses. The bill would create a division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services, charged with providing training, outreach, and education to all food vendors and general vendors regarding entrepreneurship and compliance with local regulations.

The bill is part of a package on street vendor issues introduced by various Council members.

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CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING & SINTERKLASS AT BROOKLYN’S 1720 LOTT HOUSE

MARINE PARK — A HOLIDAY CELEBRATION INCLUDING A CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING, a visit with Sinterklass — the Dutch Santa — music, complimentary snacks and hot cocoa will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, at one of Brooklyn’s oldest homes, the Hendrick I. Lott House at 940 East 36th St., in Marine Park. Exterior renovations took place on the house, but unlike other Dutch farmhouses in the city, the inside remains untouched, preserving the architectural fabric of its long, storied history. New York State also recognizes Lott House as an Underground Railroad site.

The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of Lott House.

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ADAMS HEADS BACK TO D.C. THURSDAY FOR RESCHEDULED TALKS ABOUT MIGRANT CRISIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS IS HEADING BACK TO WASHINGTON, D.C. ON THURSDAY for rescheduled meetings with federal officials about the migrant crisis. Adams had abruptly canceled his previous visit last month when the FBI raided his top fundraiser’s home in Brooklyn. The mayor won’t be meeting any new faces on the official portion of his trip. His schedule includes U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (a resident of Park Slope) and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (Prospect Heights). He will also meet with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Before her current federal role, Criswell was the head of Emergency Management in Brooklyn, Adams’ home turf when not in New Jersey.

Adams will also attend the White House Holiday Party, where, according to his schedule, “He will speak to administration officials and other elected officials about the migrant crisis.”

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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES RESTLER BILL TO STREAMLINE BIKE LANE CONSTRUCTION

CITYWIDE — THE NYC COUNCIL APPROVED LEGISLATION on Dec. 6 that will expedite the installation of new bike lanes by shortening the current mandatory 90-day notification period to two to six weeks in most cases, the same as other DOT Major Transportation Projects. The legislation was introduced by Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D- Greenpoint-Brooklyn Heights) in conjunction with Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and backed by dozens of council members and transportation advocates. Restler said that the long waiting period sometimes delayed bike lane building into the next year’s construction season.

DOT Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said that the legislation would remove “an unnecessary waiting period after a public meeting takes place.”

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BROOKLYN’S NEWLAB IS PARTNERING WITH NYC ON SAFE E-BIKE CHARGING PILOT

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD — NYC DOT IS PARTNERING WITH STARTUP INCUBATOR NEWLAB AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD on a pilot program for safe public e-bike charging for delivery workers, Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference on Tuesday. This is just one of several projects DOT and Newlab are working on, including tests of curbside EV charging. Their collaboration, called DOT Studio, is focused on applying emerging technologies to planning, operations and real-time management of sustainable transportation across New York City.

Launching early next year, the e-bike charging pilot will test new technologies like battery swapping networks and secure bike parking docks that will allow a select group of delivery workers to charge bikes safely outside of their homes.

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REP. MALLIOTAKIS: CONGESTION PRICING WILL INSTEAD SEND CITY’S POLLUTION INTO BROOKLYN

BAY RIDGE — CONGRESSWOMAN NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-11), WHO HAS REMAINED A STAUNCH OPPONENT of congestion pricing, called the MTA Board vote to push it forward “nothing more than a cash grab that will take more money from commuters and shift traffic from Manhattan to Brooklyn and the other outer boroughs, increasing pollution in communities like ours.” Malliotakis asserted that “Instead of always looking for the latest ‘get rich quick’ scheme, the MTA’s board should be auditing the agency to find out where the billions they’ve already received, including from federal infrastructure aid, have gone.” She warned, “If the agency continues to be managed as it currently is, this money will go down a black hole just like every other dollar they receive.”

Malliotakis has pointed out before that her constituents in southwestern Brooklyn neighborhoods Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights and in Staten Island, which the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connects, already get hit with steep tolls.

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NYU LANGONE’S FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER IS AWARDED $50K FOR FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM

SUNSET PARK — THE SUNSET PARK FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER AT NYU LANGONE HAS RECEIVED a $50,000 grant through the New York Food for New York Families grant program, State Sen. Iwen Chu (D/WF-17) announced on Wednesday, Dec. 6. This program gives vital funding to food pantries, medical centers, and other nonprofits to purchase fresh food products grown by New York farmers directly for distribution in communities facing food insecurity. The Family Support Center provides health care services, focused on maternal health and pediatric care across Sunset Park and southern Brooklyn. “This grant will help bridge the food insecurity gap within our neighborhood, ultimately making the residents healthier,” said Larry McReynolds, executive director of family health centers at NYU Langone.

During Thanksgiving week, Senator Chu donated 30 turkeys to the center and joined their Thanksgiving food distribution to families in need.

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IN MEMORIAM: TV PIONEER NORMAN LEAR DIES AT 101

EAST FLATBUSH AND LOS ANGELES — NORMAN LEAR, THE PIONEER PRODUCER WHO CREATED THE EMMY-AWARD WINNING SITCOM “ALL IN THE FAMILY,” and other programs, died Tuesday night at age 101. Lear, who resided in Brooklyn for about four years, according to a Los Angeles Times obit by Dennis McLellan, “revolutionized prime-time television in the 1970s with groundbreaking, socially relevant situation comedies such as ‘All in the Family,’” which debuted on Jan. 12, 1971, and centered on Archie Bunker, a working-class bigot, and his wife, good-natured Edith Bunker. Lear won several Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards and other honors for his shows.

Lear is listed among the famous alumni of Samuel J. Tilden High School in East Flatbush (which opened in 1930 and closed in 2007), as was “Maude” co-star Bill Macy.

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HOCHUL: NY FLU CASES JUMP 25% IN JUST ONE WEEK

CITYWIDE — AT AN EVENT IN THE BRONX ON WEDNESDAY, GOV. KATHY HOCHUL WARNED New Yorkers that the number of influenza cases has jumped 25% in just one week across the state and city. Flu cases across the state are now defined as “prevalent,” which is a new category. Hospitalizations are up 30%, Hochul said, adding she was “Very, very sad to report that there have been two pediatric deaths related to flu.”

“I want to make sure that everyone is reminded to get their flu shots. I had mine a couple days ago,” Hochul said.

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KILLER GETS 25-TO-LIFE SENTENCE FOR CROWN HEIGHTS SHOOTING

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A CROWN HEIGHTS MAN HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE for the Dec. 16, 2017, fatal murder of another man in the neighborhood. State Supreme Court/Kings County Justice Eugene Guarino sentenced the defendant, identified as Rennie Patterson, 22, of Crown Heights, following his conviction, three months ago, of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The defendant had been arrested for the overnight shooting of 32-year-old John Barnes, in front of 1339 Saint John’s Place (near Schenectady Avenue). Video surveillance captured the defendant leaving a building with a friend, and tracked them walking to the scene.

The defendant’s friend and the victim had been involved in a physical fight in which both had to be separated and restrained.

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BROOKLYN PLUMBING COMPANY OWNERS CHARGED WITH TAX EVASION, FRAUD

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — CLAIMING A DISNEY WORLD EXCURSION AS A BUSINESS TRIP WAS ONE ACTION THAT GOT A BROOKLYN PLUMBING COMPANY IN TROUBLE with the law. An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in federal court in Brooklyn against the owners of Liberty Water & Sewer (Liberty Water), a Brooklyn-based plumbing company, on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Alexander Figliolia, Jr., and Kenneth Sutherland, who operate Liberty Sewer & Water as a partnership, are accused of falsely claiming that personal expenses, such as the Disney trip, clothes and the purchases of homes and a yacht, were business costs. Arrested Wednesday morning, they were expected to be arraigned that afternoon, with United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho presiding.

In total, Figliolia, Jr., and Sutherland intentionally diverted approximately
$10,225,213 from Liberty Water between tax years 2017 and 2019, thus evading approximately $3,933,046 in federal taxes.

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MTA VOTES TO APPROVE CONGESTION PRICING TOLLS; 60-DAY PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD BEGINS NOW

CITYWIDE — THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY VOTED ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, DEC. 6, TO APPROVE THE CONGESTION PRICING TOLLS, reported Gothamist just after noon. The MTA approved a roster of congestion pricing tolls for drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street. The tolls impose a $15 fee on passenger vehicles that enter the zone from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, with very few exemptions. Civil service workers — EMT, FDNY and police staff among them — who need to drive to work would have their city-owned emergency vehicles exempted but not personal ones. Wednesday’s vote also initiated a 60-day public comment period that puts the agency on track to begin collecting the fees late next spring. There was only one opposing vote — from board member David Mack, representing Nassau County.

The MTA’s press release, timestamped at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, indicated that its board was set to vote that day on congestion pricing and that it was a Gridlock Alert Day.

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CITY-OWNED EMERGENCY VEHICLES AMONG THOSE EXEMPT FROM CONGESTION PRICING PLAN

CITYWIDE — AMONG THE FEW EXEMPTIONS TO THE CONGESTION PRICING TOLL PACKAGE THAT THE MTA APPROVED ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6, are vehicles that transport people with disabilities, ambulances, garbage trucks, NYPD vehicles and fire trucks. Tax credits equivalent to the cost of the tolls paid would be given to New Yorkers living within the toll zone who earn less than $60,000 a year. The slate also expands on the federal government’s request to grant discounts to low-income drivers who commute into the zone; these drivers would get a 50% discount after the first 10 trips within one month.

Discounts of $5 will also be granted under this program to drivers who enter the zone via the Holland, Lincoln, Brooklyn-Battery or Queens-Midtown tunnels, as these drivers already pay up to $14.75 to use the tunnels. However, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is not among the crossings mentioned for discounts.

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PUBLIC ADVOCATE URGES MTA BOARD TO CONSIDER INCREASED BURDEN ON STRUGGLING NEW YORKERS

CITYWIDE — NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE WILLIAMS, WHO HAS SUPPORTED CONGESTION PRICING, POINTED OUT Wednesday, Dec. 6, in a public statement that considerations must be made for struggling New Yorkers. “As designed, the provisions around taxis will create undue financial burden for drivers already struggling to make a living,” wrote Williams, who said certain considerations have been insufficiently addressed. “I further believe that the discounted rate for low-income New Yorkers — which are only triggered after ten full-rate trips — is insufficient to meet the level of need in an existing affordability crisis,” said Williams. “Greater effort must also be made to protect these same communities from an increase in hazardous emissions.”

Public Advocate Williams is urging the MTA board to consider amending the exemptions and financial adjustments to congestion pricing to avoid undermining the purpose but also to “make it stronger, more sustainable, and more equitable.”

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HOCHUL SETS DATE FOR SPECIAL ELECTION TO REPLACE SANTOS

QUEENS/LONG ISLAND — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ISSUED A PROCLAMATION ON TUESDAY declaring a special election to fill the vacancy in the 3rd Congressional District created by the expulsion of notorious fabulist George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives. The special election will occur on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.

A Hochul campaign spokesperson told NY1 that the governor will support the bid of Tom Suozzi, who held the seat before Santos was elected — despite Suozzi’s unsuccessful challenge against Hochul in the Democratic primary for governor.

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ADAMS WILL TRY D.C. TRIP AGAIN, AFTER LAST ATTEMPT DERAILED BY FBI RAID

WASHINGTON, D.C. — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS WILL TRY AGAIN THIS WEEK TO GET TO WASHINGTON, D.C. for a series of meetings on the migrant crisis, 1010 WINS reports. He abruptly cut short his previous trip there last month and returned to New York after the FBI raided his top fundraiser’s home in Brooklyn.

On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that Comptroller Brad Lander has revoked Adams’ emergency authorization to make deals with contractors for migrant services without prior approval — a blow to the mayor as he struggles with the crisis.

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REP. VELÁZQUEZ: SCHOOL DISTRICTS URGENTLY NEED FEDERAL DATA ON ALTERNATE SCHOOL MEAL OPTIONS

NATIONWIDE — THE EXPANSION OF PLANT-BASED MEAL OPTIONS IN SCHOOLS AND THE STATUS OF RELATED DATA COLLECTION is the topic of a letter that Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-07) sent to the Food and Nutrition Service on Wednesday, Dec. 6. That agency had been directed, under the Fiscal Year 2023 House Agriculture Appropriations Bill, to collect, analyze and publish research on the availability of alternate-protein meal options for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Rep. Velázquez, whose letter had seven other signatories, including New York Congressmembers Jerrold Nadler (D-12/Manhattan) and Adriano Espaillat (D-Harlem/Bronx), pointed out that state and local school administrators, having waited eight months for the FNS’ information, urgently need it to expand schools’ plant-based meal options.

Velázquez pointed out that most Black, Indigenous and other people of color are lactose intolerant, and thus are three times as likely to follow a plant-based diet than white people. Moreover, schools’ increased racial and cultural diversity has led to students finding it necessary to follow plant-based diets.