What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

January 23, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

FDA FIELDS MORE REPORTS OF LEAD TOXICITY
FROM CINNAMON APPLESAUCE POUCHES

NATIONWIDE — AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION OF LEAD TOXICITY IN CINNAMON APPLESAUCE POUCH BRANDS has expanded. Recall alerts had been publicized last November of WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis brand fruit puree products. As of Jan. 22, 2024, the FDA has received 90 confirmed complaints and reports of adverse health effects potentially linked to recalled products. Confirmed complainants, or people for whom a complaint was submitted and met the FDA’s complainant definition, are between zero and 53 years of age, and the median age is one year old.

WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches are sold nationally and have been available through multiple retailers, including Amazon, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar/Dollar Tree combination stores and other online outlets. Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and variety packs are sold at Schnucks and Eatwell Markets grocery stores, while Weis is a store brand.

✰✰✰

MIDWOOD PARENTS WORK TO KEEP MIGRANT KIDS IN SCHOOL

MIDWOOD — PARENTS AT TWO SOUTHERN BROOKLYN SCHOOLS HAVE JOINED in an effort to help dozens of migrant families keep their kids in class, reports Gothamist, as the mayor’s controversial policy requiring families in city shelters to leave or reapply for beds elsewhere after 60 days begins to take effect this month. P.S. 139 parents have started a GoFundMe campaign that has raised $11,000 for housing expenses, while P.S. 315 has opened a volunteer “donation store” with free coats, clothing, suitcases and other essentials. Other parents have thought up inventive ways to help, including sharing their kitchens to allow migrant parents to make food to sell, searching for low-cost housing, coordinating donation dropoffs and connecting migrants with lawyers and other immigration services.

Adams has said the 60-day stay limit is necessary to keep beds open for new arrivals, but critics say that since families who reapply will not be guaranteed placement at their old shelters, children could experience severe learning disruptions if reaching their current schools becomes impossible.

✰✰✰

COMMUNITY BOARD APPLICATIONS OPEN

BOROUGHWIDE — BROOKLYNITES INTERESTED IN SERVING ON ONE OF the borough’s 18 community boards can now apply for a seat through late February, BP Antonio Reynoso announced this week. The 50-member volunteer boards hold hearings, offer recommendations on local affairs and wield influence in land-use and zoning decisions. Eligibility is open to anyone 16 or older who lives, works, studies, owns property or has another significant interest in a board’s district.

Applications can be found online on the Brooklyn Borough President’s city webpage and can be submitted until Feb. 19.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE EDGED UP IN
DEC. 2023, ECHOING NATIONWIDE FIGURES

BOROUGHWIDE — THERE WERE SLIGHTLY MORE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS IN BROOKLYN IN DECEMBER 2023 than there were in December 2022, according to preliminary non-seasonally-adjusted figures released by the state Department of Labor on Tuesday, Jan. 23. At 5.4% in December 2023, unemployment in Brooklyn was also slightly higher than it was in November 2023, when it stood at 5.2%. This slight increase echoes a nationwide rise in unemployment, which rose from 3.3% in November to 3.5% in December. Across Brooklyn, there were 1,140,000 workers employed and 65,400 unemployed in December, according to the Labor Department.

Several other NYS counties logged higher unemployment rates in December, including the Bronx at 6.6%, Hamilton County at 7.4% and Lewis County at 5.6%.

✰✰✰

INVITATION TO WRITE THE NEXT ANTHEM
FOR NATION’S SONGBOOK

BROOKLYN AND CITYWIDE — BROOKLYNITES WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO WRITE A NEW ANTHEM TO ADD TO THE NATION’S SONGBOOK, thanks to a collaboration with the Brooklyn Public Library, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and two other NYC public library systems. This new project, named Anthem to the U.S., invites members of the public to create a contemporary anthem that reflects a new generation’s hopes, struggles and untold histories. Initially up to 160 selected participants will embark on an immersive three-part writing workshop series exploring themes, song structures and melodies across diverse styles. Interested readers may visit https://anthemtous.org/ for more information. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 11:59 p.m.

The final three anthems will be judged and brought to life with performances at Brooklyn Public Library and Lincoln Center. The winning work will be added to the canon of songs that includes “America the Beautiful,” “We Shall Overcome,” “My Country, Tis of Thee” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

✰✰✰

‘FOOD IS MEDICINE,’ EMPHASIZES
CITY HOSPITAL SYSTEM’S PODCAST

CITYWIDE — PLANT-BASED EATING AS POWERFUL MEDICINE IS THE FOCUS OF NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS’ LATEST EPISODE OF ITS NEW PODCAST, “THE REMEDY.” NYC Health + Hospitals on Tuesday, Jan. 23, released Episode 2: Food is Medicine, featuring leaders and health care providers from the nation’s largest municipal health care system. Host Dr. Michael Shen, with Dr. Michelle McMacken, Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals, and the health system’s Executive Chef Phil DeMaiolo discuss the popular Lifestyle Medicine Program, a six-month initiative to support patients as they learn to cook healthier meals, read nutrition labels, exercise, and to help patients adopt a plant-based diet. Episode 2: Food is Medicine is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and other podcast platforms.

During the episode, Chef Phil explains the recent overhaul of the hospital menu to offer creative, plant-based dishes that reflect the city’s diverse cultures, and the logistics involved in an operation that serves more than 15,000 hospital meals daily.

✰✰✰

WORKERS COMP. BOARD LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE TOOLKIT

STATEWIDE — THE NYS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BOARD HAS LAUNCHED A NEW ONLINE TOOLKIT FOR INJURED WORKERS, Chair Clarissa Rodriguez announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The one-stop webpage provides critical resources for workers who have been injured or become ill on the job, such as information on filing claims, understanding their rights, benefits, return-to-work and other available resources. Available online, the Injured Worker’s Toolkit explains how the workers’ compensation system works, spells out the benefits and provides key deadlines as it guides the reader through the process of filing a claim.

As part of its ongoing outreach, each month the Board’s Advocate for Injured Workers hosts a free monthly Workers’ Comp 101 webinar with basic instructions and a Q&A session, and the Workers’ Comp 202 webinar, which provides a deeper dive into medical care and other key topics.

✰✰✰

BROOKLYNITES ENCOURAGED TO SHARE AN EXTRA COAT

BARCLAYS CENTER — NEW YORK CARES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BARCLAYS CENTER, WILL HOST BROOKLYN’S LARGEST ONE-DAY COLLECTION FOR THE 35TH ANNUAL COAT DRIVE, on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 24. New York Cares has received a record number of nearly 200,000 requests for coats this season from nonprofit partners, representing Brooklynites in-need who will be without a warm winter coat due to economic hardships. Volunteers will be stationed at Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, from 3-7 p.m. to collect new and gently used winter coats, with all donations being distributed to Brooklyn Defender Services. Participating with the volunteers will be a basketball legend from the NY Nets.

New Yorkers who donate a coat will receive a complimentary ticket to the Brooklyn Nets vs. Utah Jazz matchup at Barclays Center on Monday, Jan. 29 — with the purchase of an additional ticket.

✰✰✰

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR OFFSHORE WIND INNOVATION HUB

CITYWIDE — THE OFFSHORE WIND INNOVATION HUB on Tuesday, Jan. 23, opened its 2024 application process, which is designed to identify and support entrepreneurial and innovative companies to help unleash the potential of the dynamic new offshore wind industry. Through a highly competitive selection process, applicants will have to showcase the potential and economic impact of their innovation. Finalists from the initial pool of applicants will be invited to participate in a public pitch event in New York before a panel of judges drawn from academia, business and government. Winners participate in a six-month mentoring and business development program designed to prepare them to partner with major offshore wind developers and be part of the larger offshore wind value chain. Applications will be accepted online until March 25.

Launched in January 2023, the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub is led by Equinor and BP in collaboration with Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium. Equinor and BP are involved in the Empire Wind 1 project, but no longer on Empire Wind 2.

✰✰✰

CONSTRUCTION WORKER AT BROOKLYN JAIL DIES AFTER FALLING THROUGH HOLE IN FLOOR

BOERUM HILL — A 64-YEAR-OLD CONSTRUCTION WORKER died following a tragic accident in September at the construction site for the new Brooklyn borough jail at 275 Atlantic Avenue, the Daily News reports. Yong Chin Son fell 18 feet through a hole that had been covered with loose planks, while removing asbestos on the 11th story of the old Brooklyn House of Detention in Boerum Hill. Son, of Flushing, Queens, was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist and died three days later, on Sept. 16. “He was planning to retire next year. He was very well respected,” said Local 78 President Jan Sanislo. Son’s family is suing the city for $15 million.

According to the NYC Department of Buildings, the same contractor, Northstar, received another violation on Jan. 16 for more unprotected holes — this time on the 7th floor — among other violations.

✰✰✰

OVERNIGHT LANE CLOSURE ON BQE THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JAN. 26 & 27

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ONE QUEENS-BOUND LANE OF THE BROOKLYN-QUEENS EXPRESSWAY (BQE) will be closed from Grace Court to Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights from midnight to 5 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27, according to the NYC Department of Transportation. This will allow DOT access into the MTA chamber that houses the fan plant in order to carry out crucial column and beam repairs. At least one lane will still be available, according to DOT community contact Anita Navalurkar.

Photos provided by DOT show spalled concrete with exposed and broken rebar on the interior of the chamber.

Repairs needed on the bearing wall under the BQE.
Photo: NYCDOT

One Queens-bound lane to be closed overnight Friday and Saturday.
Photo: NYCDOT

✰✰✰

HOCHUL BUDGET INCLUDES PROPOSAL TO EXTEND 421A TAX ABATEMENT FOR DEVELOPERS

STATEWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL IS PROPOSING TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE for developers with ongoing housing projects to take advantage of the expired 421a tax abatement program, the Commercial Observer reports. The four-year program extension is part of the $233 billion state budget proposal the governor released Tuesday. Hochul also wants to create a $650 million fund to award communities that increase their housing supply, and proposed putting $250 million toward turning former correctional facilities and other state properties into affordable housing.

Hochul will also ask legislators to fund an incentive to convert underutilized office buildings into housing.

✰✰✰

MARKET VALUE OF BROOKLYN REAL ESTATE ON FIRE IN 2023

BOROUGHWIDE — IT WAS AN ESPECIALLY STRONG YEAR for the market value of rental and commercial buildings in Brooklyn, The Real Deal reports. The value of Class 2 properties, which includes cooperatives, condominiums and rental buildings, was up 9.2% in the borough, compared with 5.3% citywide. Brooklyn also had the biggest jump in Class 4 commercial and industrial property value, which includes retail and hotels. These increased by 8% in assessed value, compared with 4.4% citywide.

The total tentative market value for all assessed properties in New York City rose to $1.491 trillion, up 0.7% from the current fiscal year, according to TRD.

✰✰✰

FEDEX BUYS ‘MASSIVE DISTRIBUTION CENTER’ NEXT TO GOWANUS CANAL

SUNSET PARK — FEDEX HAS PURCHASED A “MASSIVE DISTRIBUTION CENTER” in Sunset Park bordering Red Hook, at the mouth of the Gowanus Canal, for almost $250 million, Crain’s reports. The company bought the 18-acre Sunset Industrial Park from Bridge Industrial and developer Dov Herz. FedEx plans to open a 246,000-square-foot distribution center at the address later this year, a company spokesperson told Crain’s.

Red Hook residents say the area is already overrun with trucks and delivery vans from the sudden influx of e-commerce warehouses. Three gigantic Amazon warehouses are currently in operation in Red Hook, and five more developments are in the works, including a 1.1 million-square-foot UPS distribution center.

✰✰✰

MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION AWARDS $500K GRANT TO MAIMONIDES

BOROUGH PARK — MAIMONIDES HEALTH HAS BEEN AWARDED A $500,000 GRANT FROM THE MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION FOR ITS ADVANCED ILLNESS MANAGEMENT (AIM) PROGRAM, particularly for older adults. The award will be applied to Maimonides’ Integrating the Advanced Illness Management (AIM) in the Emergency Department — the AIM-ED Project (AIM-ED Project) — to improve patient outcomes by involving patients and their families early in defining their care objectives. This participation informs the development of the treatment plan considering their cultural, ethnic, religious and spiritual beliefs. Maimonides Health was recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System — Committed to Care Excellence by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in June 2023.

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is named for an Italian American saint, St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini, who in the late 19th and early 20th centuries established schools for Brooklyn’s Italian immigrant community, working particularly at Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen Church in Carroll Gardens. Cabrini Boulevard in Washington Heights is named after her.

✰✰✰

POPULAR BOROUGH PARK COUPLE FATALLY STABBED, SON BEING HELD AS ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’

BOROUGH PARK — A DOUBLE STABBING OF AN ELDERLY COUPLE IN BOROUGH PARK ON SATURDAY NIGHT, Jan. 20, has neighbors in shock. Police responding to a 911 assault call around 5:20 found EMS first responders from the nonprofit Hatzolah ambulance service trying to save the lives of an elderly man and woman, according to some reports, including the Daily News. The NYPD’s report identifies the victims as Jacob Sperber and his wife, Rachel Sperber, both 75. Both had stab wounds through their bodies and were rushed to Maimonides Medical Center but couldn’t be saved. The victims’ 46-year-old son barricaded himself inside the family’s second-floor apartment at 45the Street near 12th Avenue before surrendering to police, and as of Sunday morning was being considered a person of interest.

Neighbors told the Daily News and the New York Post that the couple were well-liked and that Jacob often gave food to needy persons. They described the son as “disturbed.”

✰✰✰

MAN ARRESTED FOR STALKING TAYLOR SWIFT HAD UNANSWERED BROOKLYN SUMMONS

TRIBECA — A MAN WHO FAILED TO SHOW UP TO A 7-YEAR-OLD DISORDERLY CONDUCT SUMMONS in Brooklyn was arrested while trying to enter Taylor Swift’s Tribeca townhouse on Saturday, Jan. 20, the Daily News reports. Police responded to a 911 call on a disorderly person on Franklin Street. The NYPD had not, as of Sunday afternoon, released the man’s identity. The previous disorderly conduct summons on the man had been issued in Brooklyn in 2007.

Swift’s home had been stalked before, including by another Brooklynite identified as Joshua Christian who, in June 2022, allegedly yelled threats into her intercom saying he would “hurt her if they weren’t together,” NYPD sources said.

✰✰✰

STARRETT CITY WOMAN, PET DIE IN APPARENT DOUBLE STABBING

STARRETT CITY — A WOMAN WHO APPARENTLY HAD ARGUED WITH HER SON OVER A BARKING DOG WAS FOUND FATALLY STABBED on Friday night, Jan. 19, according to NYPD reports and the Daily News. The woman, who has since been identified as Donna Hyman, 58, of Hornell Loop, part of the Starrett City complex, within the 75th Precinct, had multiple stab wounds to the torso. A 36-year-old male was found in the lobby, also with wounds. The woman was pronounced deceased on the scene; EMS rushed the male to Brookdale Medical Center, where he was in critical condition as of press time. The woman’s dog was also found dead. The dog’s wounds were consistent with having fallen from a high place; investigators believe that its death is connected to the double stabbing. Police identified the man as the victim’s son.

Neighbors told the Daily News that the woman and her son lived in the same household, and that they had argued over the dog’s continued barking. They also said that the dog was a support animal for the victim, who had been widowed six years earlier.

✰✰✰

CITY OPENS APPLICATION PERIOD FOR SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

CITYWIDE — THE 2024 SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM application period is now open and runs until Friday, March 1, 2024, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Keith Howard announced on Monday. The initiative, which provides 100,000 summer jobs and other paid opportunities to young people ages 14-24, runs for six weeks during July and August, giving youths paid opportunities to explore potential career interests and pathways, allowing participants to engage in learning experiences that help develop their professional, social, civic and leadership skills. Participants aged 14 and 15 receive a stipend for the summer; older youth aged 16-24 are paid the prevailing minimum wage. SYEP applications can be completed on SYEP’s webpage or through participating community-based organizations.

Last summer, participants got a jump start on their careers at nearly 18,000 worksites in industries ranging from business/finance and philanthropy to transportation, real estate, hospitality/tourism and media arts.

✰✰✰

MEMBER OF ASSASSIN MILLAS GANG GETS 45-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A MEMBER OF THE EAST NEW YORK-BASED ELITE ASSASSIN MILLAS GANG HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 45 YEARS in prison for firearms offenses involving murder and assault in aid of racketeering. United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto on Monday, Jan. 22, in Brooklyn federal court sentenced Tyshawn Corbett, also known as “Reck.” According to court filings and transcripts, Corbett was a longtime member of the crew, which was a set of the Bloods street gang that operated primarily in East New York. The gang profited from fraud and drug dealing. Within the gang, Corbett developed a reputation as a “shooter” for being willing to shoot and kill other people. In September 2022, he pleaded guilty to three firearm offenses involving murder or assault in aid of racketeering.

The government’s case has led to the convictions of six members and associates of E.A.M. in addition to Corbett, including the gang’s leader, Quandel Smothers, who was convicted at trial and is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.

✰✰✰

CITY LAUNCHES SCHOOL BUS APP

CITYWIDE — NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND MAYOR ADAMS THIS WEEK CELEBRATED the launch of a new school bus companion app after nearly five years of development, reports Chalkbeat; parents whose children attend public schools will now be able to track buses along their routes by GPS. While the system is now live, not all bus drivers have yet signed up for the app because of a contract negotiation struggle, according to a city spokesperson, meaning that not all buses are currently available for tracking. Some critics also noted that the app is only accessible to parents who have an online NYC Schools Account, which not all parents are aware of — only two out of three public school families are registered with an NYCSA — and which can be difficult to sign up for charter school or private school students who ride public school buses.

The NYC School Bus App is available on iPhone and Android, and can be found through the App Store and Play Store; information about registering for the NYCSBA and NYCSA accounts can be found on the city’s public schools webpage.

✰✰✰

GOODWILL EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY IN $2.3 MIL EMBEZZLEMENT

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A LONGTIME GOODWILL EMPLOYEE PLEADED GUILTY IN Brooklyn federal court on Friday to wire fraud charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after being caught scamming the nonprofit out of $2.3 million over a period of 16 years by creating a fake company and falsely billing her employer for job-finding services not provided. Marcia Joseph, the charity’s former senior fiscal officer, then used the embezzled money on personal expenses, including $235,000 spent on mortgage payments, $98,000 for car payments, $45,000 in Amazon purchases and $16,000 in cash to friends and family. The U.S. Attorney’s statement highlighted that Joseph withdrew a total of nearly $100,000 in cash from the stolen money.

The Daily News reports that, in a statement, Goodwill wrote, “Marcia Joseph was a trusted employee who defrauded and victimized Goodwill.” She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing.

✰✰✰

THOSE SMUGGLED SHRIMP BAGS HID COCAINE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A US CITIZEN ARRIVING AT JFK AIRPORT FROM GUYANA WAS ARRESTED Saturday, Jan. 20, for smuggling cocaine found inside bags of frozen jumbo shrimp packed in his suitcases during a secondary screening. Each of the shrimp packages contained a white powdery substance, which was revealed during a field test to be cocaine, with an estimated weight of approximately 18.45 kilograms. After being informed of his Miranda rights, the defendant, whom federal authorities have identified as Zacharie Scott, 22, of Guyana but with US citizenship, agreed to speak with investigators. He told investigators he had been promised payment of $5,000 to $6,000. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo, presiding Sunday, Jan. 21, at Scott’s arraignment, ordered him detained until a bail hearing scheduled for Tuesday. If convicted, Zacharie Scott could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Fern represents the government. Scott’s attorney is James Darrow of Brooklyn Federal Defenders.