What’s News, Breaking: Thursday, January 18, 2024

January 18, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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EX-WIFE OF ‘WOLF OF WALL STREET’ AUTHORS NEW BOOK

BAY RIDGE — DR. NADINE MALACUSO, THE EX-WIFE OF INFAMOUS “WOLF OF WALL STREET” fraudster Jordan Belfort, will on Wednesday host a signing at Bay Ridge’s BookMark Shoppe for her new book, “Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds,” which draws on her life experience and discusses recovering from trauma and PTSD caused by narcissistic relationships. Malacuso, once known as the “Duchess of Bay Ridge” for the Belforts’ flashy lifestyle and the basis for actress Margot Robbie’s character in the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” became a licensed therapist after escaping her abusive marriage to Belfort and now offers family and marriage counseling in private practice, as well as informational content about relationships on TikTok.

The signing will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. at the BookMark Shoppe on 3rd Avenue.

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COUNCIL SHAKEUP: OSSE, CABAN, YEGER, HANIF LOSE CHAIRS; AVILES, NURSE, RESTLER TAKE NEW POSTS

CITYWIDE — SEVERAL BROOKLYN CITY COUNCILMEMBERS WILL BE AFFECTED BY CHANGES in council committee leadership during the 2024-2025 session, reports City & State: four members are losing their chairs, including Chi Osse on the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tiffany Caban on Women and Gender Equity, Kalman Yeger on Standards and Ethics and Shahana Hanif on Immigration; Hanif was named co-chair of the Taskforce to Combat Hate. Meanwhile, Alexa Aviles will move from chairing Public Housing to replace Hanif on Immigration, and Sandy Nurse will swap to chair Criminal Justice from Sanitation; Lincoln Restler will take his first chair on Governmental Operations, while Jennifer Gutierrez and Justin Brannan will keep the chairs of Technology and Finance respectively.

Osse, Caban and Hanif bucked Mayor Adams and Speaker Adrienne Adams last year to vote against this year’s budget, as did Aviles, Nurse, Gutierrez and Restler; an email sent by Caban on Thursday suggested the move could be “punishment for my votes against the Mayor’s cruel, dangerous budget cuts,” and Osse wrote in a statement that he was “disappointed,” although Speaker Adams at a press conference denied any retaliation.

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NYC TRAVEL ADVISORY: 1-5” OF SNOW ON FRIDAY; CODE BLUE DECLARED

CITYWIDE — NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (NYCEM) HAS ISSUED A TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY as anywhere from 1-5” of snow could accumulate throughout the day, depending on the storm’s path. The snow will start during morning rush hour and continue until roughly evening rush hour. “We encourage New Yorkers to prepare a plan for [Friday’s] slippery and messy evening commute,” NYCEM Commissioner Zach Iscol said in a release. Even colder air moves over the area following the storm, NYCEM warns. Wind chills could approach zero over the weekend with gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph. Sub-freezing temperatures will persist until Monday.

The city has declared a Code Blue, meaning no one who is homeless will be denied shelter. Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be suspended Friday but payment at parking meters will remain in effect throughout the city.

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL WINS LANDMARK
SETTLEMENT FOR RIDESHARE DRIVERS

CITYWIDE — THE CITY’S UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS AND NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES TOGETHER CELEBRATED A HISTORIC $328 MILLION SETTLEMENT that the state’s top law enforcement official secured for them. The settlement with the companies Uber and Lyft will deliver back pay, sick leave, minimum pay and other benefits to more than 100,000 NY rideshare drivers, as compensation for what the Office of the Attorney General called cheating drivers out of several years’ fair pay. Beginning March 1, 2024, drivers will be able to apply for settlement funds and will start receiving other benefits, including paid sick leave and a minimum pay rate.

Uber will pay $290 million and Lyft will pay $38 million into two separate settlement funds which will be entirely distributed to current and former drivers, who can access more information about the settlements on the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) website.

Attorney General James, NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai and members of NYTWA celebrate the settlement.
Photo courtesy Office of Attorney General Letitia James

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MAN CHARGED WITH EXPORTING FORBIDDEN TECH INTO RUSSIA TO USE AGAINST UKRAINE

DOWNTOWN — BUSINESSMAN ILYA KAHN WAS CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT IN BROOKLYN THURSDAY for his alleged multi-million dollar scheme to illegally export thousands of sophisticated semiconductors from the United States to a Russian business, Elvees, which serves the Russian military and FSB (formerly KGB). Elvees was sanctioned by the U.S. for its critical role in facilitating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Ilya Kahn’s alleged actions — utilizing a nefarious web of companies to export sensitive controlled technology to the Russian military and intelligence services — directly harmed the interests and security of the United States and our allies,” Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a release. Kahn, a citizen of Israel, the U.S. and Russia, illegally routed the shipments through Hong Kong and other countries.

Kahn is the owner of Senesys Incorporated based in California, and Sensor Design Association with an address on 17th Street in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn.

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HOCHUL ANNOUNCES $233B BUDGET

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR HOCHUL ON TUESDAY ANNOUNCED THE DETAILS OF HER PROPOSED $233 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, reports City & State, offering a “solid, balanced” plan with no income tax raises and minor spending increases; the plan includes $2.3 billion to address the ongoing migrant crisis, with $1 billion specifically to reimburse NYC for a portion of its spending, which is projected to reach $12 billion by the end of FY 2025, according to the mayor’s office. Other highlights include a record $35.3 billion for education, $35.5 billion for Medicaid, $8.5 billion for public safety and mental health, $7.9 billion for the MTA, $435 million for flood resiliency and $61 million for the Interborough Express.

The governor also proposed a four-year extension of mayoral control of public schools, as well as a potential replacement for the 421-a property tax exemption intended to help spur new development.

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MAYOR’S LEGAL DEFENSE FUND DISCLOSURE SHOWS $700K IN DONATIONS

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ADAMS’ LEGAL DEFENSE FUND HAS RAKED IN OVER $700,000 from over 200 donors in the two months since its launch in the wake of the highly public federal investigation into the mayor’s relationship with the Turkish government, reports Politico, and has spent over $400,000 of it on legal representation already, with the bulk of that sum going to law firm WilmerHale. Queens Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, a longtime Adams ally, was the only elected official to donate, contributing $2,500, according to the fund’s disclosures to the city Conflicts of Interest Board; other contributors included One Brooklyn Health board chair Alexander Rovt and two Rovt family members, Russia-linked billionaire Leonard Blavatnik, former mayor Bloomberg, and Adams associate Frank Carone and three family members.

The mayor’s election campaign disclosed that it has netted around $400,000 since July, $181,000 of which was paid out to Adams’ former fundraising manager, Brianna Suggs, whose home was raided in November by the FBI.

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LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION AT CITY POINT

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP IS SET to ring in the Lunar New Year at Albee Square this February, featuring live music and traditional lion dancing by the Choy Lay Fut Dance Team. DBP, City Point and DeKalb Market eateries will be giving away lucky red envelopes with coins, swag and gift certificates for local Asian-owned businesses; while families can have dragon-themed fun at the mall’s Balloontopia pop-up and a crafts portrait studio, as well as at a kids’ drums playspace.

The Albee Square Lunar New Year celebration will take place on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Albee Square on Fulton Street. Activities are free for all.

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IN MEMORIAM
JOSEPH C. ZADROGA, 76, DIES; PUSHED FOR
HEALTH BILL TO COMPENSATE 9/11 EMG WORKERS

NEW JERSEY AND WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE — JOSEPH C. ZADROGA, WHO FOUGHT FOR HEALTH CARE BENEFITS ON BEHALF of thousands of Ground Zero emergency workers, died on Saturday after being hit by a car, the New York Times’ Sam Roberts reports. Zadroga was personally inspired after his son, NYPD Detective James Zadroga, died at age 34 after exposure to contaminants in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The elder Mr. Zadroga successfully pushed for Congressional passage in 2010 of the bill named for his son’s memory, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and was successful also in the law’s 2015 reauthorization.

Upon James Zadroga’s death in 2006, his young daughter Tyler Ann became orphaned — as her mother had died the prior year from a heart attack. The elder Zadroga was among several family members raising Tyler Ann.

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NYU RESEARCH TEAM WINS $5M GRANT TO ADVANCE
TECHNOLOGY HELPING VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING HAS BEEN AWARDED A $5 MILLION GRANT from the National Science Foundation to advance accessibility for people with blindness and low vision to navigate their surroundings. A team at NYU Tandon School of Engineering will kick off the second phase of its ambitious research project that aims to transform navigation and accessibility for many of the 285 million people with blindness and low vision (pBLV) worldwide. Leading the team is John-Ross Rizzo — an associate professor in NYU Tandon’s Biomedical Engineering department, who works across several disciplines within the university, including Rehabilitation Medicine. The team will continue developing VIS4ION (Visually Impaired Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation), a wearable technology platform designed to help pBLV better understand and navigate their local environments.

VIS4ION works by using miniaturized sensors including cameras, microphones, GPS and motion sensors on wearable devices to collect data about the user’s environment.

John-Ross Rizzo displays a backpack that can help pBLV better navigate their local environments.
Photo: NYU Langone

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SIX INDICTED FOR MASSIVE EAST COAST THEFT SPREE, HIT 130 STORES

DOWNTOWN — SIX GANG MEMBERS WERE INDICTED IN BROOKLYN ON THURSDAY and charged with a massive, 20-month theft spree at Lowe’s and Home Depot stores in 13 states across the Northeast. According to Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, the defendants, members of the Hoolie street gang ranging in age from 21-24, stole at least $516,000 in merchandise from 71 Lowe’s and 59 Home Depot branches. At least 21 of the stores were located in the Eastern District, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and parts of Long Island. The gang also stole $320,000 in Hertz rental cars, which they used to drive to the stores.

Defendants Christopher World, Lovell Ambrister and Hassen Lewis were arrested Thursday and will be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcia M. Henry. Trent Dance and Von Vincent are detained on other charges upstate. Defendant William Harvin is still at large. The government seeks pretrial detention of the defendants based on their history of fleeing from police.

From left: Crime spree defendants World, Ambrister, Harvin and Lewis, allegedly pictured mid-robbery.
Photo: Eastern District of New York

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MALLIOTAKIS: EMPLOYEE RETENTION
CREDIT WILL BE REMOVED FROM TAX CODE

SOUTHWESTERN BROOKLYN — BUSINESSES IN BROOKLYN, PARTICULARLY IN THE 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, NEED TO FILE for the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) before Jan. 31, 2024, before changes in the tax code, urges Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who serves this district and sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Congress’ chief tax writing committee. The Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible businesses and tax-exempt organizations (but not individuals) that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Under the new bipartisan tax framework being negotiated by House and Senate financial leaders, the Employee Retention Tax Credit will be removed from the tax code. Because of this, all ERTC claims must be filed before Jan. 31, 2024, as Congress is hoping to pass the tax package before the current tax season begins.

Malliotakis’ office explains that the $80 billion in savings from the ERTC being discontinued will be used to extend key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that have expired.

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13TH ANNUAL JUSTICE MILTON MOLLEN AWARDS
WILL HONOR UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM STAFF

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MILTON MOLLEN COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE AWARD, being presented next Wednesday, Jan. 24, will honor eight employees of the Unified Court System within the Second Judicial Department. Presiding Justice Hector D. LaSalle of the Appellate Division, Second Department in Brooklyn, made the announcement on Thursday, Jan. 18. The award is presented annually to staff members who have demonstrated the highest level of dedication, integrity and professionalism. Honorees include Tamara Broadus, Court Clerk Specialist with the Supreme Court, Kings County, Civil Term, Appellate Division; Phyllis G. Carusillo, Court Analyst with the Second Department Ancillary Agency’s Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District; and Honsan Wong, Senior Management Analyst with the IT Dept., Appellate Division, Second Department. The ceremony, taking place at the Appellate Division Courthouse at 45 Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights, will feature special remarks by former Presiding Justice Mollen’s son, Scott E. Mollen, a distinguished attorney.

A Brooklyn native, and graduate of Samuel J. Tilden High School and the St. John’s University School of Commerce and School of Law, Justice Milton Mollen, during 1993-1994, headed the Mollen Commission, which concluded that widespread police corruption was rampant in five NYPD precincts, including in Brooklyn.

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POLICE SEARCH FOR MAN WANTED FOR ‘INADVERTENT’ HOMICIDE

BROWNSVILLE — POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A SUSPECT WHO THEY SAY INADVERTENTLY FIRED HIS GUN, hitting another man on a subway train as they were engaged in a verbal dispute on Sunday, Jan. 14, at about 8 p.m. According to NYPD, the men were aboard a northbound 3 train arriving at the Rockaway Avenue subway station when the argument and inadvertent shooting took place. The 45-year-old male victim was hit twice in the torso. The suspect was last seen fleeing the Utica Avenue train station. The victim was transported by EMS to Kings County Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced deceased.

The suspect is described as a male with a dreadlock hairstyle and a dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black hood, dark-colored sneakers, and dark-colored pants. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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NUMBER OF FIRES CAUSED BY FAULTY LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES KEEPS GOING UP

CITYWIDE — NYC FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO 267 FIRES caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries in 2023, up from 220 in 2022 (and 104 in 2021), Gothamist reports. The number of deaths from these fires tripled, to 18 in 2023 from 6 in 2022. Lawmakers have introduced several new safety measures, including bills outlawing the sale of cheap, low-quality batteries. Mayor Eric Adams has also announced plans to build safe charging hubs at 53 NYCHA complexes and other locations, and the city is inspecting bike shops where the batteries are sold.

Many delivery workers can only afford the cheap but dangerous batteries, however, and often charge them at home while they sleep.

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MTA CONSIDERS G TRAIN SHUTDOWN

CITYWIDE — THE MTA IS CONSIDERING A COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF G TRAIN SERVICE this summer to allow for necessary repairs, reports CBS News, for several weeks; however, exact dates have not been finalized. The repairs are part of the installation of the MTA’s new Communication-Based Train Control system, which will “provide our riders with faster, more frequent, smoother, and more reliable service” by using wireless signals on both trains and tracks to help direct traffic, replacing the signaling system currently in use, which relies on detecting the physical contact of train wheels with tracks and in places dates back to the establishment of the subway system 117 years ago.

Installation of the CBTC system on the F line began in 2020; the MTA expects to announce the G train shutdown dates later this year.

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TWO NYPD OFFICERS SHOT AFTER RESPONDING TO 911 CALL IN BROWNSVILLE

BROWNSVILLE — TWO OFFICERS WERE SHOT on Tuesday after responding around 3 p.m. to a 911 call from a woman who said she was being assaulted by her son. One sergeant and three police officers from the 73rd Precinct responded to the apartment on Bergen Street near Saratoga Avenue and identified the perpetrator as Melvin Butler, 39, according to NYPD Detective Chief Joseph Kenny, who spoke at a press conference. During the arrest, a violent struggle ensued and Butler grabbed an officer’s weapon. Shots were fired, though it is not yet clear who fired them. One officer was hit in the left hand, another officer in the left thigh. Both are recovering at Kings County Hospital. Butler was shot multiple times and is listed in critical but stable condition.

Kenny said Butler has six prior arrests in New York City and one in North Carolina, with a history of resisting arrest and domestic violence. He served 15 years for attempted murder.

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BROOKLYN MAN ARRAIGNED FOR ‘HORRIFIC SPREE’ OF STABBINGS

DOWNTOWN — A BROOKLYN MAN WAS ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES OF ATTEMPTED MURDER, ASSAULT and other charges in connection with a series of stabbings on Nov. 12, 2023, that left three men seriously injured, Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday. Abraham Kentish, 27, formerly of the SUS Shelter in East New York, allegedly went into the room of a sleeping 70-year-old shelter client and stabbed him 15 times. He then allegedly stabbed a sleeping 38-year-old client twice. Later that same morning, he boarded a number 4 subway car and allegedly stabbed a sleeping 32-year-old man in the neck. All three victims were taken to Brookdale Hospital, where they were treated for stab wounds.

“This defendant allegedly engaged in a horrific spree of violence, brutally stabbing three innocent and vulnerable people as they slept. We have no tolerance for this kind of random violence in Brooklyn and will now seek to bring the defendant to justice,” Gonzalez said. Kentish is being held without bail.

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GOLDMAN FILES CENSURE OF STEFANIK FOR SUPPORT OF JAN. 6 INSURRECTIONISTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — CALLING HER BEHAVIOR ‘CONTEMPTUOUS,’ REP. DAN GOLDMAN SAID HE WOULD BE INTRODUCING A RESOLUTION to censure Rep. Elise Stefanik for conduct unbecoming of a member of Congress, including her “consistent support of insurrectionists who attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.” Goldman (D-Brooklyn-Lower Manhattan) said Stefanik (R-Upstate NY) is providing “support, aid, and comfort to those convicted of the January 6 attack” and “spreading conspiracy theories related to Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 Presidential election.”

Stefanik’s referral of the convicted insurrectionists as hostages “both demeans the actual hostages currently held in captivity in Gaza and provides support for those who attacked the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, caused the death of five law enforcement officers, injured more than 100 others, and threatened violence against members of Congress and their staffs,” Goldman said.

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$260K RAISED FOR FAMILY OF BK SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD KILLED ON SUBWAY

CROWN HEIGHTS — MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS HAS BEEN RAISED after a beloved school crossing guard was shot and killed, reportedly trying to break up a dispute over loud music on a subway train this past weekend, according to GoFundMe. Richard Henderson, 45, was shot in the back and shoulder on Sunday night on a Manhattan-bound No. 3 train approaching the Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College station, ABC 7 reports. His family said he was a devoted father of three and doting grandfather of two young girls “who lived to help others.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, a GoFundMe account had collected just over $260,000 for the family.

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BROOKLYN REP. GOLDMAN PRESENTS GUN ANTI-TRAFFICKING BILL TO CONGRESS

CAPITOL HILL — A BILL TO REDUCE ILLEGAL GUN TRAFFICKING AND INCREASE TRANSPARENCY ON TRACING DATA was introduced in Congress on Wednesday, Jan. 17, with Brooklyn Congressmember Dan Goldman (D-10) as one of the presenters. Goldman and Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois introduced the ‘Trafficking Reduction and Criminal Enforcement’ (TRACE) Act to help the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reduce illegal firearms trafficking by increasing transparency on gun trace data, require longer maintenance of background check records, mandate gun dealers report lost or stolen firearms, and mandate a second serial number that is harder for criminals to remove. The TRACE Act would require background-check records to be maintained for a minimum of 180 days and for gun dealers to perform inventory checks to report lost and stolen guns, a measure currently prohibited under the Tiahrt Amendments, which the TRACE Act would also repeal for restricting the information that investigators can obtain on gun transactions.

A strong advocate of gun control, Rep. Goldman has also co-sponsored and/or introduced several other bills including, earlier this month, the ‘Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act.”

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TWO SENIOR MEMBERS OF BRITAIN’S ROYAL FAMILY DEAL WITH SURGERY FOR BENIGN CONDITIONS

UNITED KINGDOM — TWO SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY are taking medical leave, reports the Associated Press. King Charles III is to undergo a “corrective” procedure next week for an enlarged prostate that has been deemed benign, and will require “a short period of recuperation.” Meanwhile, Catherine, the former Kate Middleton and now the Princess of Wales, underwent a planned abdominal surgery for a non-cancerous condition on Wednesday morning, Jan. 17, and will recuperate at a private hospital for the next two weeks.

Princess Catherine apologized for having to postpone scheduled engagements related to being an active, working royal.

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JUDGE IN E. JEAN CARROLL DAMAGES TRIAL THREATENS TO EXPEL TRUMP FOR ROWDINESS

LOWER MANHATTAN — A JUDGE IN MANHATTAN CIVIL COURT HAS THREATENED TO EXPEL DONALD TRUMP FROM HIS TRIAL FOR REFUSING TO STAY QUIET while Plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, a writer, testified on Wednesday, Jan. 17, according to the Associated Press and several news reports. Judge Lewis Kaplan gave Trump an initial warning after he audibly muttered comments about the plaintiff’s testimony. However, after Trump repeatedly ignored the jurist’s warnings and interrupted the proceedings, Judge Kaplan warned that his right to be present at the trial would be revoked unless he remained quiet.

Carroll, 80, was testifying as of press time that Trump “shattered” her reputation after she had accused him of sexual abuse from an incident decades earlier. She seeks $10 million in damages after winning a rape lawsuit against Trump, who is again running for president.

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SEN. GILLIBRAND URGES RENEWAL OF FUNDING TO HELP LOW-INCOME FAMILIES PAY WATER BILLS

NEW YORK AND CAPITOL HILL — RENEWED FEDERAL FUNDING IS NEEDED TO HELP LOW-INCOME FAMILIES PAY THEIR WATER BILLS, says U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who on Thursday, Jan. 18, is slated to hold a video press conference on the matter. Sen. Gillibrand urges the government to fund the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, which aids households whose drinking water and/or wastewater services have been disconnected, or are about to be disconnected, because of inability to pay. Because the program expired last year, Gillibrand is calling on the government to renew this program.

Since the program’s creation in 2021, LIHWAP has helped more than one million households nationwide, including over 35,000 in New York, afford their water and wastewater bills.

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IN MEMORIAM: JOYCE RANDOLPH DIES AT 99; WAS LAST OF HONEYMOONERS’ FOURSOME

MANHATTAN — JOYCE RANDOLPH, THE LAST SURVIVING STAR OF THE PIONEER TV PROGRAM “THE HONEYMOONERS,” DIED JAN. 13 AT AGE 99, The New York Times reports. Born into a Finnish family in Detroit, the actress who took on the surname “Randolph” as her stage identity, played Trixie Norton, wife of Ed Norton and upstairs neighbor to Ralph and Alice Kramden, the couple’s best friends. “The Honeymooners,” which premiered on Oct. 1, 1955, took place in Brooklyn, featuring Gleason as bus driver Ralph Kramden with absurd get-rich-quick schemes. (Jackie Gleason was a Brooklyn native). “The cast of four dominated the Saturday night viewing habits of millions in the golden age of live television, and for decades afterward on rerun broadcasts and home video,” writes veteran NY Times and Pulitzer-winning journalist Robert D. McFadden. Predeceasing Ms. Randolph were Gleason, who played Ralph Kramden, in 1987; Audrey Meadows (Ralph’s wife, Alice) in 1996; and Art Carney (Trixie’s husband, Ed Norton) in 2003.

According to the Times obit, Ms. Randolph dedicated an eight-foot bronze statue of Mr. Gleason at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in 2000. Marines attending a 2006 U.S.O. gala gave her a standing ovation.

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PUBLIC ADVOCATE URGES MAYOR TO READ ACTUAL TEXT OF ‘HOW MANY STOPS ACT’

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS AND DETRACTORS OF THE ‘HOW MANY STOPS’ ACT” NEED TO READ THE ENTIRE BILL, which refutes their claims about it, said NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Wednesday, Jan. 17. This bill, the details of which are available to the public on the NYC Council’s website, details the language that exempts certain categories of casual interactions with the public from reporting requirements, contrary to the “misconceptions” and misinformation that Public Advocate Williams asserts that Adams is claiming. Moreover, Williams pointed out existing language from the current NYPD patrol guide that already instructs officers to log some information on Level 1 and 2 stops related to Body-Worn-Camera recordings.

Intro 586-A and the other component of the ‘How Many Stops’ Act passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority last month.

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NYU’S SCORSESE VIRTUAL PRODUCTION CENTER HITS MILESTONE AT INDUSTRY CITY

SUNSET PARK — CONSTRUCTION OF NYU’S NEW MARTIN SCORSESE VIRTUAL PRODUCTION CENTER is substantially complete, Industry City announced in a release Wednesday. Virtual production technology allows actors and directors to work in a virtual environment to create visual effects in real time, rather than in post-production. The facility features two 3,500-square-foot column-free stages, two 1,800-square-foot TV studios, broadcast and control rooms, dressing rooms and makeup areas, a lounge and bistro, scene workshops, offices and training spaces. NYU Tisch will open the facility to students in Fall 2024 and it will also be available for commercial rentals.

The production center should fit in well with Industry City’s burgeoning media and production ecosystem, said Glen Siegel, Managing Partner at Industry City.