What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, February 20, 2024

February 20, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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DEFENDANT SOCKED WITH 18-TO-LIFE SENTENCE
IN SHOOTING DEATH OF ROMANTIC RIVAL

DYKER HTS. AND DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — BROOKLYN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ELIZABETH WARIN HAS SENTENCED A BRONX MAN to 18 years to life in prison for a 2021 murder in Dyker Heights, reports Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. The defendant, 33-year-old Adam Thomas, last month pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for an incident in which he shot a romantic rival who had a daughter with Mr. Thomas’ ex-girlfriend. Evidence presented in court revealed that the defendant had broken into his ex-girlfriend’s 83rd St. home in Dyker Heights and fought with the rival, identified as Justin Moncada, before shooting him fatally in the head. As the girlfriend called the police, the still-armed defendant threatened her and her six-year-old daughter, whom she shared with Moncada.

Police arrived before the defendant could escape, and he was arrested while attempting to flee through the window he had entered earlier.

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BROOKLYN WATERFRONT GROUPS RECEIVE
GRANTS TO FOSTER CLIMATE RESILIENCE

STATEWIDE — BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK CONSERVANCY, INC. AND CITY PARKS FOUNDATION’S COASTAL CLASSROOM PROGRAM have each been awarded $100,000 grants as communities along the Hudson River Estuary that are working to improve water quality, enhance environmental education and advance stewardship of natural resources. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy is receiving $100,000 for “Enhancement of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s Environmental Education Center and Program,” a project to fund the conceptualization and design of several new state-of-the-art exhibits themed around New York Harbor’s urban ecology. City Parks Foundation is receiving $100,000 for “Learn Coastal Classroom,” a project in Kings, Queens and New York (Manhattan) Counties to support City Parks Foundation’s Coastal Classroom program, which teaches elementary, high school, and college students about the city’s waterways, from coastal ecology and human impacts on the environment to stewardship, among other issues.

These two programs are among 26 projects bestowed grants, which complement the Governor’s comprehensive plan to protect communities from the impacts of climate change by investing in resilience.

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BROOKLYN WATERFRONT GROUPS RECEIVE
GRANTS TO FOSTER CLIMATE RESILIENCE

These two programs are among 26 projects being awarded the grants, which complement the Governor’s comprehensive plan to protect communities from the impacts of climate change by investing in resilience.

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DYKER HEIGHTS PEDESTRIAN DIES FROM INJURIES
SUSTAINED IN DECEMBER COLLISION

DYKER HEIGHTS — A WOMAN PEDESTRIAN WHO WAS HIT WHILE IN A CROSSWALK TWO MONTHS AGO DIED of her injuries last Saturday, Feb. 17, reports NYPD. The victim, identified as 83-year-old Minaxi Christian of Dyker Heights, was struck in the roadway on Friday, Dec. 15, when an 81-year-old male driver of a 2007 Honda Accord was reversing his vehicle out of a parallel parking space on 76th Street, near where the victim lived, within the 68th Precinct. The driver remained on the scene. According to the NYPD report, the victim was transported to Maimonides Medical Center immediately after the collision but later succumbed to her injuries. Data from the city’s Vision Zero website had one matching entry for that date and the pedestrian’s age.

According to a chart that the NYPD released in December 2023, in Brooklyn alone, there were 287 motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians, with 286 injured and one reported killed at the time. Within the 68th Precinct, there were 14 pedestrian injuries and no deaths at the time. (Ms. Christian was in the category of injured at the time of the report.) The report did not indicate whether it was cumulative for the year.

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GOVERNOR: UTILITY BILL RELIEF
COMING TO 8M NEW YORKERS

STATEWIDE — EIGHT MILLION NEW YORKERS WILL SEE UTILITY BILL RELIEF THANKS TO the New York State Public Service Commission’s adopting a $200 million state energy bill credit, Governor Kathy Hochul announced late last week. The energy bill credit is a one-time benefit using state-appropriated funds to provide energy bill relief to more than 8 million directly metered electric and gas customers. Major utility companies will be administering the credits, Gov. Hochul explained in a statement. The program, proposed by the Energy Affordability Policy working group, provides that the $200 million appropriation included in the FY24 State Budget will be allocated to customer accounts through a one-time credit within roughly 45 days of the utilities receiving budget funds.

As of this Feb. 15 action, more than $1.4 billion has been or will be made available to New York consumers to help offset energy costs in 2024.

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MAIMONIDES’ HEART AND VASCULAR INSTITUTE EARNS
DISTINGUISHED RATING FROM SURGEONS’ SOCIETY

BOROUGH PARK — MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER’S HEART & VASCULAR INSTITUTE HAS EARNED DISTINGUISHED THREE-STAR RATINGS FROM THE SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS. This recognition focuses on the Vascular Institute’s patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures (CABG) and isolated mitral valve replacement and repair surgery (MVRR). These three-star ratings, which denote the highest category of quality, place Maimonides among the elite for CABG procedures and MVRR surgery in the United States and Canada. The latest analysis of data, covering a three-year period from July 2020 to June 2023, showed that approximately 20% of participants received the three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery, and about 10% received the three-star rating for MVRR surgery.

The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada.

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EVACUATION PLAN FOR FLOYD BENNETT FIELD MIGRANT CAMP ‘LACKS DETAILS’

MARINE PARK — NYC’S OFFICIAL EVACUATION PLAN FOR THE MIGRANT TENT SHELTER at Floyd Bennett Field in Marine Park “lacks details and clarity on what to do in a weather-related evacuation,” according to a copy obtained by Gothamist. For example, “Guests will be transferred to [LOCATION TBD] for duration of storm,” the brief document states. When migrants at the flood-prone tent camp were evacuated during a storm on Jan. 9 to James Madison High School, some said they and their children slept on the floor or on seats of an auditorium despite pledges by city officials to provide cots.

The school also received a bomb threat and multiple harassing calls during the migrants’ sojourn, according to officials.

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MAN SURVIVES HIT BY ‘A’ TRAIN IN D’TOWN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A MAN ON THE ‘A’ TRAIN TRACKS NEAR THE HIGH STREET SUBWAY STATION in Brooklyn was hit by a train at roughly 9:42 a.m. Monday morning — but survived with minor injuries, police told the Brooklyn Eagle. A southbound A train was approaching High Street when the conductor saw the man and applied the emergency brakes before the train struck the victim. Responders found the 53-year-old man conscious and attentive on the tracks with minor injuries, including lacerations to the head and pain in the arm. During the rescue, FDNY and EMS emergency responders blocked Cadman Plaza West near High Street station.

The victim was transported to Methodist Hospital in stable condition. No criminality is suspected, police said.

Photo: Emergency responders block Cadman Plaza West near High Street station during the High Street rescue on Monday, Feb. 19.
Brooklyn Eagle photo by Mary Frost

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UFT UNION CAUCUS PUTS FORTH LEADERSHIP
SLATE TO PROTECT TRADITIONAL MEDICARE

CITYWIDE — THE FIGHT TO PROTECT MEMBERS’ TRADITIONAL MEDICARE BENEFITS AND OTHER PROVISIONS is at the heart of an objective of the Retiree Advocate/UFT, a political caucus in the Retired Teachers Chapter, which is putting forth its own slate of candidates for the triennial chapter elections this spring. Retired Advocate/UFT, which has allied with other NYC municipal unions, including the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, is challenging what it asserts are attacks on healthcare coverage from the union leadership, the UFT’s Unity Caucus, the mayor’s office and the Municipal Labor Committee, which have tried to automatically switch retirees to a Medicare Advantage plan that reportedly curtails coverage.

The slate of 10 leader candidates includes Brooklyn educators and longtime union members: Bennett Fischer, a 29-year teacher and UFT chapter leader at PS231K in Borough Park, and Michael Shulman, co-chair of the New Action Caucus of the UFT, and Chapter Leader and delegate for 20 years at Bushwick High School and Fort Hamilton High School, among other roles. Gregory Di Stefano, a 55-year-UFT member, is also on the slate.

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NOMINATIONS WELCOME FOR WOMEN OF DISTINCTION HONORS

BATH BEACH — STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER WILLIAM COLTON (D-47) SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR HIS ANNUAL WOMEN OF DISTINCTION HONORS, which he presents each March in celebration of Women’s History Month. Assemblymember Colton, who represents the southern Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights and Gravesend, is welcoming nominees who represent the area’s diversity of the area and who have made contributions in business, education, humanitarian work, military service, community/civic affairs, health care, government or volunteerism. Nomination forms are available through Colton’s office, either via email to [email protected] or by calling Christina Waszak at 718-236-1598. Completed nominations must be received via [email protected] by March 6, 2024, in time for the Sunday, March 10 ceremony, hosted at the Federation of Italian American Organizations’ headquarters, Il Centro, 8711 18th Avenue.

Said Colton, “We are looking to celebrate those women who, through their ongoing commitment to bettering the quality of life in the district and beyond, play key roles in building and strengthening the neighborhoods in which they live.”

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MAYOR CONSIDERS NEW AGENCY
TO REGULATE DELIVERY E-VEHICLES

CITYWIDE — SAFETY CHECKS AND ENFORCEMENT FOR E-BIKES WOULD BE A KEY ROLE of the new city agency that Mayor Adams is contemplating to regulate New York’s burgeoning food and package delivery industry, reports the Daily News. The agency, which has unofficially been called the Department of Sustainable Delivery, “will regulate new forms of delivery transit and ensure their safety,” Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi told that newspaper. The agency would regulate trucks, electric bicycles, scooters and mopeds. Joshi, who brings experience from leading the Taxi and Limousine Commission during Mayor de Blasio’s administration, pointed out that the TLC requires all liveries and rideshare vehicles to undergo regular safety inspections and adhere to special equipment rules. By contrast, the lack of regulation for e-bikes has proven tragic.

According to the city’s Vision Zero website, 2021 — the first year for which e-mobile fatality data was available — saw 15 e-bike traffic deaths; the next year that number rose to 21. Data for 2023 (available only through October), showed 18 traffic e-mobile deaths.

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ARMED NYC HEALTH DEPT. EMPLOYEE ARRESTED SUNDAY MORNING

BROWNSVILLE — A WOMAN WHO WORKS FOR THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WAS ARRESTED Sunday at 10:40 a.m. and charged within the confines of the 73rd Precinct (Brownsville/Ocean Hill), police said. Lalee Meadows, 59, who was off-duty at the time, was charged with menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment; further details were not available.

According to the WeGov website, Meadows works as a secretary at NYC DOH in Manhattan. She started with the agency in 2002.

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OVERNIGHT LANE CLOSURE ON BQE THURSDAY & FRIDAY, Feb. 22 & 23

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — REPAIR WORK REQUIRING THE CLOSURE OF ONE LANE OF THE QUEENS-BOUND BROOKLYN-QUEENS EXPRESSWAY (BQE) will take place in the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 22 and Friday, Feb. 23. A lane in the Queens-bound direction will be closed from Grace Court to Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights from midnight to 5 a.m. on both days. The closure 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.

DOT contractors will be repairing spalled concrete with exposed and broken rebar on the interior of the chamber.

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MIGRANT SHELTER CONTRACTOR DOCGO FACING INVESTOR LAWSUIT

CITYWIDE — LAW FIRMS ARE LINING UP TO ATTRACT DOCGO INVESTORS to a class action lawsuit against the medical services company hired by NYC to provide shelter services to migrants. According to the Times Union, Upstate shareholder Joe Naclerio is a possible lead plaintiff in the suit which alleges the company misled investors about its executives and risks. Former CEO Anthony Capone stepped down in September after allegations that he lied about his educational background. DocGo also faces a federal lawsuit that alleges abuse of migrants, poor living conditions and inedible food. DocGo’s share price plummeted from $10.46 on Aug. 9, 2023, to $3.69 on Feb. 16, 2024.

DocGo received a $432 million no-bid contract from the Adams administration to operate numerous shelters on an emergency basis, including a 2,000-bed shelter near the Brooklyn Navy Yard at 47 Hall St., described by the New Yorker in October as a hellhole. After an audit, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander revoked the emergency procurement authorization used by the Adams administration.

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DINAPOLI REPORT CONFIRMS IT: NYC’S RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH

CITYWIDE — A REPORT ISSUED BY NYS COMPTROLLER THOMAS DINAPOLI CONFIRMED that the “cost burden” of housing in New York is just too high, with 38.9% of households laying out more than 30% of their income for a roof over their heads, and 20% paying more than 50% of their income for rent or home ownership. For both owners and renters, housing costs are highest in New York City, with 43% of households being described as cost-burdened.

Groups suffering the most from too-high housing expenses include Hispanics, Black and Asian families, along with seniors over the age of 75, according to the Feb. 14 report.

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ATLANTIC TERMINAL MALL BANS TEENS WITHOUT ADULT CHAPERONES

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE ATLANTIC TERMINAL MALL IS ONCE AGAIN REQUIRING anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult, WABC reports. According to management company Madison International Realty, a chaperone policy has actually been in place for several years now to “foster a safe environment for individuals, families, and retailers.” WABC quoted some teens saying they understood the recent clampdown. “They just be like destroying the store and stuff,” said one young shopper. The mall enforced the rule as far back as 2010, the New York Times reported at that time.

In a discussion on Reddit, some commenters blamed unruly behavior on the lack of resources for teens, especially in the winter. “Kids shouldn’t feel like they need to hang out at Target when school lets out,” one said.

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BAD KARMA FOR BUDDHIST TEMPLE ROBBERY SUSPECT IN FLATBUSH

FLATBUSH — POLICE HAVE ARRESTED ONE OF SEVERAL SUSPECTS connected to the robbery of a Buddhist temple in Flatbush, abc7ny reported Thursday. Cops said they tracked down one of the thieves in Virginia — where another Buddhist temple was also targeted. During the Flatbush robbery, four men armed with large screwdrivers forced their way into the Watt Samakki Temple on Rugby Road and ransacked it, while holding a group of monks in a room. They walked out with two old iPhones and $60 from a donation box.

Detectives believe the suspects are part of a gang of thieves who are targeting Buddhist temples in an ongoing multi-state spree that stretches from Virginia to Kent, New York, abc7ny said.

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REP. CLARKE APPLAUDS ACCORD TO COMBAT AI, DISINFORMATION IN 2024 ELECTIONS

CENTRAL BROOKLYN — REP. YVETTE CLARKE (NY-9) APPLAUDED ON FRIDAY an international accord to combat the deceptive use of AI (artificial intelligence) in 2024 elections, announced at the ongoing 60th annual Munich Security Conference. “This year will be the most consequential election year in world history. Over 4 billion people — more than half of the world’s population — will head to the ballot box,” Clarke said in a statement. “Unfortunately, these are voluntary commitments,” she added.

Rep. Clarke has taken a lead in Congress on the threat of misinformation, disinformation, and deceptive AI-generated content, including sponsoring the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act, which requires creators to digitally watermark deepfake content, and the REAL Political Ads Act which would require a disclaimer on political ads that use images generated by AI.

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DIRTY DETERGENTS MIGHT GET DROPPED

CITYWIDE — ON THURSDAY, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES GENNARO INTRODUCED A BILL THAT WOULD MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO SELL or distribute any detergent pods or laundry detergent sheets containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA or PVOH). The goal of the bill is to reduce the amount of microplastics entering New York’s waterways. Companies like Proctor & Gamble (makers of Tide Pods), True Earth and Dropps have pointed to the US EPA’s seal of approval on the product. But that doesn’t mean it is biodegradable. PVA is still derived from fossil fuels and requires precise conditions in wastewater facilities in order to break down effectively — conditions that currently do not exist, according to an article from Bloomberg.

In 2023, a group of 15 climate change and anti-plastic pollution nonprofits petitioned the EPA to revisit its position on PVAs. The group wanted the EPA to find independent studies on the plastic, but the EPA denied the petition.

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TRUMP: $364M PLUS 3-YEAR CORP. BAN, IN LANDMARK VICTORY FOR A.G. JAMES

NEW YORK — IN A MAJOR VERDICT ON FRIDAY JUDGE ARTHUR ENGORON RULED that former president Donald Trump and the Trump Organization must pay more than $364 million in damages. Engoron also barred the former president “from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.” The ruling, likely to be appealed, follows a months-long civil trial in which Trump and others were accused of financial fraud by New York Attorney General Letitia James, numerous outlets including the Washington Post reported.

New York Attorney General Letitia James was set to give remarks on her landmark victory in New York City at 6 p.m. Friday. (The press conference livestream may be found at ag.ny.gov/livestream.)

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A.G. JAMES WARNS NYC LAW FIRM TO STOP SCAMMING UBER & LYFT DRIVERS

ALBANY — NYS ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES WARNED NYC LAW FIRM HELD & HINES LLP to immediately stop attempting to get Uber and Lyft drivers to pay a fee for their share of the settlement funds secured by her office. Held & Hines has been posting “deceptive ads” on social media and driver chat groups claiming the firm would obtain drivers’ share of the settlement for a 15% fee, when in reality the process is simple, free and does not require a lawyer, James said in a statement Friday. “Asking hardworking drivers — many of whom are immigrants and people of color — to pay a fee for their rightfully earned wages is unacceptable,” James said, adding that the law protects people from fraudulent business practices such as false advertising. “We will not allow them to get away with it.”

Uber and Lyft drivers can submit claims from March 1 to May 30, 2024. Drivers should contact Rust or NYTWA for free assistance.

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FOLLOWING ALEXEI NAVALNY’S DEATH, REP. JEFFRIES URGES PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN BILL SUPPORTING UKRAINE

CAPITOL HILL — AS THE NEWS OF RUSSIAN DISSIDENT ALEXEI NAVALNY’S DEATH IN PRISON circulated on Friday, a key Congressional leader from Brooklyn mourned the loss and urged the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to pass national security legislation to support Ukraine. Alexei Navalny, Russia’s top opposition leader against corruption in the Russian government, and President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died in prison on Friday, Feb. 16, according to a statement from the Federal Penitentiary Service, that the Associated Press covered. House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-8) declared on Friday, “The House must stand with the Ukrainian people in their courageous fight against Russian aggression. Those who do not risk forever being tarred in history as accomplices to Putin’s tyrannical regime.”

Jeffries said, “I once again urge House Republicans to join us in urgently passing comprehensive national security legislation to support Ukraine and our other democratic allies throughout the world,” and he demanded that the bill be brought to the floor immediately for a vote.

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GOLDMAN BILL WOULD BAN PARAMILITARY GROUPS FROM DRILLING & MOBILIZING WITH WEAPONS

WASHINGTON, DC — REP. DAN GOLDMAN (NY-10) JOINED MARYLAND REP. JAMIE RASKIN AND MASSACHUSETTS SEN. EDWARD MARKEY on Friday to introduce the ‘Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act’ to protect citizens from intimidation and mass mobilizations of paramilitary groups. This legislation would federally prohibit those in private paramilitary organizations from conducting activity with firearms, such as “publicly patrolling, drilling, or engaging in deadly paramilitary techniques, interfering with or interrupting government proceedings, interfering with the exercise of someone else’s constitutional rights, falsely assuming the functions of law enforcement and asserting authority over others, and training to engage in such behavior.”

“Paramilitary groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers use guns to terrorize communities and threaten our national security,” Goldman said in a release. “These groups were intimately involved in the planning and execution of the January 6th insurrection and pose an existential threat to our democracy and the rule of law from within our borders.”

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SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ALITO PUTS BOY SCOUTS SETTLEMENT ON PAUSE

NATIONWIDE — A GROUP OF SEX ABUSE CLAIMANTS ARE PRAISING THE FRIDAY, FEB. 16, U.S. SUPREME COURT MOVE to temporarily pause the Boy Scouts of America’s $2.46 billion settlement of decades of sex abuse claims, report Reuters and other news agencies. This issue centers on “whether the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan can stop certain survivors from pursuing lawsuits against Boy Scouts councils and chartered organizations,” according to Jeff Anderson Associates, which advocates for the abuse survivors. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito halted the settlement, which a group of more than 100 abuse claimants is appealing so that the court has more time to decide a request that the claimants submitted on Feb. 9.

The survivors allege that the settlement will unlawfully block them from filing lawsuits against organizations that are not bankrupt, including houses of worship that offered Boy Scouts programs, and insurers who underwrote liability policies for the Boy Scouts.