What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, December 13, 2023

December 13, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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ANONYMOUS DONOR TEMPORARILY SAVES
GROWNYC COMPOST PROGRAM

CITYWIDE — AN ANONYMOUS DONOR DONATED ENOUGH TO TEMPORARILY SAVE the GrowNYC compost collection sites at the city’s greenmarkets after Mayor Eric Adams’ budget cuts threatened to shut them down, Gothamist reported Wednesday. GrowNYC spokesperson Andrina Sanchez told Gothamist the donation was enough to keep the compost collection program running until the end of June, when the city’s annual budget is due.

The donation, however, does not cover the other seven organizations that run community composting programs: the LES Ecology Center, Earth Matter NY, Big Reuse, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and the New York, Brooklyn and Queens botanical gardens are all still losing their city funding, Gothamist said.

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NIGHTTIME WORK ON BQE STATEN ISLAND-BOUND
LANES NEXT 3 THURSDAYS

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS-DUMBO — THE CITY’S DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION will be carrying out nighttime maintenance work on the underdeck shielding at multiple locations on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street on the next three Thursdays (December 14, December 21, December 28). As a result, double-lane closures will take place on the Staten Island-bound BQE from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., DOT said in a release.

People with questions can contact DOT’s Community Liaison, Anita Navalurkar, at 347-647-0876 or [email protected].

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TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR ANDRE BRAUGHER,
STAR OF ‘BROOKLYN NINE-NINE’

NEW JERSEY — PRAISE FOR ANDRE BRAUGHER, WHO STARRED AS CAPTAIN RAYMON HOLT IN THE HIT COMEDY “BROOKLYN NINE-NINE,” poured in after his death Monday at the age of 61. While in real life, Braugher lived in New Jersey with his family, in his role, he portrayed an unforgettable Brooklyn character. Braugher won two Critics Choice Awards for best supporting actor in a comedy series and received four Emmy nominations for his performance as Holt, the precinct’s no-nonsense, Black and gay boss, The Guardian and numerous other news outlets reported.

“From award-winning Shakespearean roles to changing the face of TV in gritty dramas, the actor was astonishing. And his turn as Raymond Holt was laser-focused comedic excellence,” The Guardian said.

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COPS SEEK WOMAN ON E-BIKE WHO STEALS PACKAGES FROM WILLIAMSBURG MAILROOMS

WILLIAMSBURG — A WOMAN WHO RIDES AN E-BIKE is sneaking into residential buildings in Williamsburg and stealing packages from mailrooms, police say. The first reported incident took place on Bedford Avenue on Oct. 18, when she entered through the front entrance, went into a mail room and stole an unknown number of packages, after which she hopped on an e-bike and fled southbound on Bedford Ave. On Dec. 6, she was recorded entering a building on Kent Avenue by forcing open the front door. Once inside, she loaded up a large red laundry bag with numerous packages and again fled on her e-bike. Police described the suspect as having a dark complexion and dreadlocks, last seen wearing a black jacket, black sweatpants, black Yankee hat 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 by visiting https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org

Williamsburg mailroom thief — Photo:NYPD

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JOYFUL PROCESSION THROUGH BROOKLYN
CELEBRATES MEXICAN CATHOLICS’ PATRON SAINT

PROSPECT HEIGHTS & BOROUGHWIDE — MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED MASSES AT THE CO-CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOSEPH ON TUESDAY, DEC. 12, to mark the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Diocese of Brooklyn held two Masses for parishioners of the 49 Catholic churches, one for Brooklyn and another for Queens. Bishop Robert Brennan was the main celebrant for both Masses. At the conclusion of each Mass, Bishop Brennan stood on the steps of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph to bless and light the torches for each of the Catholic Churches represented. Individuals selected to represent their parishes then departed with the lit torch on their pilgrimage journey back to their church.

“Today, there was such excitement, joy, and reverence in giving honor and praise to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Bishop Brennan. “The torches lit after each Mass, that then journeyed through the streets of Brooklyn and Queens, are a very visible sign of who we are as Catholics and of our love for Our Blessed Mother.

The bishop and auxiliary bishops light the torches to be carried to parishes around Brooklyn.<br />Photo courtesy DeSales Media — The bishop and auxiliary bishops light the torches to be carried to parishes around Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy DeSales Media

Members of St. Finbar parish in Bath Beach carry their banner as they begin their procession.<br>Photo courtesy DeSales Media — Members of St. Finbar parish in Bath Beach carry their banner as they begin their procession.
Photo courtesy DeSales Media

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STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL RESTS CASE
IN TRUMP FRAUD TRIAL

LOWER MANHATTAN — NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES’ OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13, RESTED ITS CASE against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization for years of financial fraud, following an 11-week trial. The closing witness was Professor Eric Lewis of Cornell University’s business school, who explained principles of accounting, notwithstanding multiple interruptions from Trump’s defense team. In her statement to the press, Attorney General James pointed out that “the judge already ruled in our favor and found that Donald Trump engaged in years of significant fraud and unjustly enriched himself and his family” and that “this trial revealed the full extent of that fraud — and the defendants’ inability to disprove it.”

Attorney General James’ team is scheduled to present its closing statements on Jan. 11. State Supreme Court Judge Arthur F. Engoron (New York County), a street-smart, wry jurist who has presided over this bench trial, will then issue his ruling expected in late January, according to a Dec. 13 New York Times story. “In a strange way, I’m going to miss this trial,” Justice Engoron said. “It’s been an experience.”

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SEN. GILLIBRAND URGES MORE FUNDING
FOR PROGRAMS THAT FEED OLDER ADULTS

NATIONWIDE — AS FOOD PRICES SOAR, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) held a video press conference to call for $1.284 billion in funding for the Older Americans Act Title III-C Nutrition Program, which provides free meals to older adults. The funding will help organizations like Meals on Wheels deliver 230 million nutritious meals annually to 2.2 million older adults nationwide facing hunger. “Free delivered meals are a lifeline for older New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand, who pointed out that they provide “much-needed social interaction every day.” Gillibrand asked the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide this amount “…to allow our seniors to age with dignity in their own homes and stay physically and mentally healthy throughout their lives.”

Gillibrand emphasized that the community-based and federally supported OAA Nutrition Program has served the elderly since 1972, helping improve and maintain senior health, safety, social connection while simultaneously saving healthcare funds.

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AS SUPREME COURT DECIDES TO RULE ON ABORTION PILL,
GOV. HOCHUL VOWS TO FIGHT

STATEWIDE — CALLING THE NEWS THAT THE SUPREME COURT HAS DECIDED TO RULE ON ABORTION PILL ACCESS “VERY DISTURBING,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday that she would fight for women’s rights against what she called a “MAGA” court. The decision could ban medication abortions nationwide. “Remember, these are the same nine justices who, a year and a half ago, overturned Roe v. Wade, setting back American women 50 years in terms of their progress toward freedom, reproductive freedom,” she warned in a statement.

More than half of abortions in America are by mifepristone, a medication called very safe by the FDA, which is taken within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy at home, eliminating the need for surgery. The case would come before the court next year, according to AP.

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ADAMS SAYS ‘POLITICAL OPPORTUNISTS’ TO BLAME FOR
RUMORS & INVESTIGATIONS

CITY HALL — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLAMED ‘POLITICAL OPPORTUNISTS’ for the rumors and investigations surrounding his fundraising and connections to Turkey. “From the day I was elected, no matter what we did, they did everything to try to derail our city. And I’ve said this more than once long before this whole Turkish conversation came up,” Adams told reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday. He added, “There are people who wake up every day and say, how do I get the pilot of this plane to crash? … People should be praying for me to land the plane.”

Adams has not been accused of any crimes. However, his Director of Protocol for International Affairs has been placed on leave amid a federal investigation, a former commissioner has been indicted, the home of his chief campaign fundraiser was raided by the FBI, and Adams’ electronic devices were seized by the FBI, among other events.

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NEW TYPE OF METAL DETECTOR APPROVED
FOR MURROW HS AFTER STABBING

MIDWOOD — A FASTER, NONINVASIVE WEAPON DETECTION SYSTEM CALLED OPENGATE has been approved for use at Edward R. Murrow High School a week after a 15-year-old was stabbed by another student there, Mayor Eric Adams and Jacques Jiha, director of the NYC Office of Management and Budget, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Unlike standard metal detectors, people being scanned with OPENGATE simply walk between two vertical pillars without having to remove backpacks, purses or bags.

The victim is expected to survive, and the suspect was taken into custody, according to CBS News. A search of the school by police after the stabbing uncovered 13 knives, seven pepper spray canisters, two stun guns and one box cutter.

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BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES EVEN MORE CUTBACKS

BOROUGH-WIDE — NOT ONLY WILL MOST LIBRARIES IN BROOKLYN be closed on Sundays starting Dec. 17, but all libraries will be cutting back services and reducing spending on books, programming and building maintenance due to deep budget cuts, Brooklyn Public Library said Tuesday. This includes limiting the number of digital and physical materials that can be checked out or put on hold at one time. Patrons will be allowed to check out no more than 10 digital items instead of 20; holds on digital items will be reduced from 10 to 5. Holds on physical items, including books, will be reduced from 15 to 10. In addition, BPL will assess a replacement charge for overdue items after 14 days instead of 28.

“Without sufficient funding, we cannot sustain our current levels of service,” BPL said in a statement.

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SCHOOL BUDGET TOWN HALL WEDNESDAY WITH LANDER AND RESTLER

BOROUGH-WIDE — IN RESPONSE TO SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS ANNOUNCED BY MAYOR ADAMS, Councilmember Lincoln Restler’s office (D-District 33) is hosting a school budget information session on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. featuring Comptroller Brad Lander and his team. This Zoom town hall will cover the basics of school funding and provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions.

Register in advance on Zoom or call Restler’s office at 718-875-5200 for more information.

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HOCHUL: NY MINIMUM WAGE GOES UP ON JAN. 1

STATEWIDE — MINIMUM WAGE WILL BE INCREASING IN NEW YORK STARTING JAN. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday in a release. Minimum wage will go up to $16 per hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, and to $15 per hour in the rest of the state. Hochul said she also secured an agreement to increase New York’s minimum wage by $0.50 in 2025 and 2026, and to index it to inflation beginning in 2027.

“If you are a minimum wage worker and you don’t see this increase in your paycheck next year, I urge you to file a wage complaint with the Department of Labor,” Hochul said. This may be done through DOL’s website or by calling 833-910-4378.

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CANARSIE WOMAN SHOT WHEN BULLET CAME THROUGH WRONG WINDOW

CANARSIE — A 29-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS SHOT IN HER CANARSIE HOME TUESDAY MORNING around 7 a.m. — apparently by a bullet that went through the wrong window, ABC7NY reports. Police believe the gunman was targeting a man who lives in a different apartment in the same East 102nd Street building. The victim was transported to Kings County Hospital with graze wounds to her left arm and right leg in stable condition.

The suspect, wearing a black jacket and red hoodie, fled eastbound on East 102nd Street.

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BODY IN CENTRAL PARK IDENTIFIED AS BROOKLYN MAN

CENTRAL PARK — POLICE IDENTIFIED A MAN WHO WAS FOUND DEAD IN CENTRAL PARK at 62nd Street at 8:37 a.m. Monday morning as Prospect Park South resident Ian Stapp, 37. According to a police report, Stapp’s body had multiple lacerations, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

According to News12, police found a bloody knife in his pocket.

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL: NYPD OFFICER WAS JUSTIFIED IN BROOKLYN STREET SHOOTING

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A POLICEMAN WHO SHOT AN ASSAILANT DEAD IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN on July 9, 2022 was essentially justified in doing so, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigations has ruled in a report issued on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The report, which follows a thorough investigation and review of body-worn camera footage, civilian cellphone video, interviews with involved officers and other witnesses, and evidence from the scene, concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial (with burden of proof on the prosecutor) that the NYPD officer who shot. Williams was justified. Three officers patrolling together in the vicinity of Flatbush Avenue and Nevins Street had pulled over a vehicle that had failed to signal a turn and asked for all the occupants’ IDs. One of the occupants, Malick Williams, led police on a foot chase, then opened fire on an officer on a public sidewalk with passers-by endangered. The officer fell but fired back, striking and killing Williams.

New York’s justification law permits a person to use deadly physical force to defend against the imminent use of deadly physical force by another person.

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SENATORS DENOUNCE UN INACTION ON HAMAS’ VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

CAPITOL HILL — THE UNITED NATIONS’ SEEMING INACTION OVER HAMAS’ ATROCITIES AGAINST WOMEN HOSTAGES HAS PROMPTED A LETTER from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) of New York and a bipartisan coalition of 28 colleagues. The senators are condemning what they call the inaction of the United Nations regarding Hamas’s widespread sexual violence, including mass rape and mutilation, against women in Israel, starting with Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. They have urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to open an independent investigation into Hamas’s acts of sexual violence and to hold the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) — a leading U.N. organization dedicated to ending gender-based violence — accountable.

The senators, including Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and both Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, wrote: “A growing body of evidence including the testimonies of survivors, witnesses, and first responders makes clear that as part of Hamas’s terrorist attack that killed 1,200 men, women, and children on Oct. 7, the terrorist organization intentionally used rape and sexual assault as weapons of war.”

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MAIMONIDES HEALTH WILL HOST HOLIDAY PARTY FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER CENTER PATIENTS

BOROUGH PARK — CHILDREN BATTLING CANCER AND THEIR PARENTS will receive holiday joy this Thursday, Dec. 14, when Maimonides Medical Center throws them a holiday party. Patients, families, doctors, nurses, and other care team members will continue the Cancer Center’s annual Pediatric Hematology Oncology Holiday Party tradition, with guests of honor being current and former patients from the hospital’s hematology-oncology, chronic blood disorder and chronic infusion programs. Maimonides staff and community groups such as Toys for Hospitalized Children have helped fill the children’s holiday wish list; those gifts will also be presented.

This joyful tradition uniting the hospital’s community is integral to Maimonides’ mission of supporting the pediatric patients in their emotional, social and developmental well-being as well as their physical health.

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STATE’S HIGHEST COURT ORDERS CONGRESSIONAL MAP BE REDRAWN

STATEWIDE — THE NEW YORK STATE COURT OF APPEALS on Tuesday, Dec. 12, ordered the state to redraw its congressional map, opening the door to a Democrat shift in the House of Representatives, the New York Times reports. The State Court of Appeals has effectively obliterated a highly contentious map that last year favored Republicans and helped flip four seats. However, the April 2023 confirmation of Chief Judge Rowan Wilson and a progressive majority in the state’s highest court have led to the ruling that the neutral district lines established last year were meant to be temporary. The court’s decision is expected to have a major impact on the 2024 elections. At heart is the issue of racial gerrymandering, which dilutes the Black vote amid decades of civil rights battles. While both major parties accuse the other of gerrymandering, racial gerrymandering is illegal — and Blacks tend to vote Democrat.

While the US Supreme Court and other federal judges had already ordered several Republican-led states to redraw maps that had diluted the power of Black voters, the conservative-majority SCOTUS is preparing to hear a case that would make it harder to prove racially-based gerrymandering.

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AG JAMES SHUTS DOWN CRYPTO PLATFORM KUCOIN IN NY

STATEWIDE — ROUGHLY 178,000 NEW YORKERS WHO TRADE ON cryptocurrency trading platform KuCoin will find their accounts closed on Tuesday after New York Attorney General Letitia James shut down their operations in the state. James secured more than $22 million from the company for failing to register as a securities and commodities broker-dealer and for falsely representing itself as a crypto exchange. KuCoin must refund New York investors more than $16.7 million and pay more than $5.3 million to the state. This is the ninth crypto crackdown James has carried out in New York since 2021.

Investors can receive their refund by withdrawing their assets directly from KuCoin over the next 90 days. After 90 days, eligible investors can file a claim to receive their cryptocurrency by emailing [email protected]