What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

February 21, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CAT CAFE WINS $50K PETCO AWARD

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE BROOKLYN CAT CAFE WAS SELECTED THIS MONTH to receive a 2024 PetCo Love Stories $50,000 award, thanks to a glowing recommendation from a Brooklyn mom whose child’s bond with a kitten adopted from the cafe helped him to overcome severe anxiety. “Whenever Happy comes to me for a cuddle I whisper my thanks to him for all he has done for Maya,” Naomi Shrenzel wrote, telling the story of how the decision to help foster a group of five kittens from the cafe led to her young son Maya, who had been suffering from severe panic attacks, taking on a caretaker role for tiny Happy, the runt of the litter, and forming a friendship that let him get through his toughest struggles and return his “sparkle.”

The cafe is a four-time winner of the annual award, which honors animal welfare groups nationwide; it is run by the Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition.

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REP. CLARKE INTRODUCES BILL HONORING BOB MARLEY

WASHINGTON — U.S. REP. YVETTE CLARKE THIS MONTH INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION to Congress honoring the Feb. 6 birthday of Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley, reports the New York Carib News; the Jamaican-American congresswoman presented a copy of the bill to Marley’s son Ziggy last Tuesday at a Washington, D.C. screening of the new “Bob Marley: One Love” biopic. Producer Paramount Pictures also announced that they have partnered with the Congressional Black Caucus to offer scholarships in remembrance of Marley to ten students working for social change at selected historically Black colleges and universities; applications for the $5,000 scholarships will be available online from April 1 through April 30 through the CBC Foundation’s online scholarship portal.

Clarke at the event said, “He taught us to live kinder and care deeper. His wisdom will guide my heart and so many others;” she later wrote on X (Twitter), “[H]is is a story that must be remembered.”

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke presents Ziggy Marley with a copy of a resolution honoring the work of Bob Marley, his father, in Washington, D.C. last week.
Photo courtesy of Rep. Clarke.

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SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM APPLICATIONS OPEN

CITYWIDE — APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSING SOON FOR THE CITY’S COMPETITIVE Summer Youth Employment Program, Councilmember Shahana Hanif reminded constituents this week, a six-week work experience program for young New Yorkers. Younger teens aged 14 and 15 will get paid to work with local groups on community projects, while youth aged 16 through 24 will receive minimum wage for jobs across a broad spectrum of the city’s industries; participants are currently selected via lottery, and acceptance is not guaranteed, although Mayor Adams has previously made efforts to expand the program to cover more city youth.

Applications are due by March 1 and are available online on the city’s SYEP webpage, by the Department of Youth and Community Development.

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ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE ART GALLERY EXHIBIT
FOCUSES ON ‘HOME’

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — PEOPLE’S DEFINITION OF THEIR HOMES IS THE THEME OF A NEW SPRING GROUP EXHIBIT opening next Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the St. Francis College Art Gallery. Titled “Home Is…,” the exhibit features the work of several artists creating in a variety of media, with a focus on both the structural and sentimental aspects of “home.” The exhibit and its artists draw their inspiration from the current and ongoing global movement of people searching for and creating new homes in foreign lands, offering concrete ways to engage with one’s local environment — not only physical buildings, but the traditions and rituals, foods, languages and relationships that are nurtured. The free exhibit will be on view weekdays 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., through Friday, May 31, 2024, at the College’s fifth-floor art gallery and library, 179 Livingston Street.

Curator Bianca Mońa has received commissions from The Laundromat Project and Culture Push, both based in Brooklyn.

‘Vessel,’ by artist Rich Garr.
Photo courtesy St. Francis College

‘Casita Parte 1’ by artist Linda Fernandez.
Photo courtesy St. Francis College

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MTA UPGRADES TO QUEENSBORO PLAZA
TO IMPACT SOME BROOKLYN LINES

CITYWIDE — SOME SUBWAY LINES IN BROOKLYN WILL BE IMPACTED during the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s ongoing accessibility upgrades at Queensboro Plaza, the transit agency announced on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Astoria-Ditmars Blvd-bound N and W trains will skip Queensboro Plaza station for one week, from Saturday, March 9 at 12:01 a.m. through Monday, March 18 at 4 a.m. Moreover, during the weekends of March 9-11 and March 16-18, N trains are being re-routed between their Brooklyn terminus at Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island to 96 St-2 Avenue in Manhattan, with trains operating every 12 minutes during the day. E and R trains will operate every eight minutes instead of every 12 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., a 50% increase to normal weekend service. F trains will be rerouted onto the E line in both directions, although the MTA did not indicate where in Brooklyn this detour starts.

The upgrades at Queensboro Plaza include the construction of two elevators that together will serve street, mezzanine and platform, new lighting, and ADA-compliant boarding areas.

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MAYOR CANCELS NEXT ROUND OF AGENCY BUDGET CUTS; SLASHES MORE FUNDING FROM MIGRANT SERVICES

CITYWIDE —CITING HIS ADMINISTRATION’S “STRONG FISCAL MANAGEMENT” AND “BETTER-THAN-EXPECTED ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE,” Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday, Feb. 21, canceled the next round of agency spending cuts of the Fiscal Year 2025 Executive Budget Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) for city agencies. Mayor Adams said this was a direct result of decisive actions taken early to stabilize the budget through continued strong fiscal management, and better-than-expected economic performance in 2023 that resulted in an upward revision to the city’s tax revenue forecast. However, the city’s ability to cancel further agency cuts was also the result of a 20% cut to asylum seeker programs in the Preliminary Budget that Adams said already saved more than $1.7 billion in city spending. But he claimed progress in intensive case work is being done for migrants.

Mayor Adams announced that the city will further cut asylum seeker costs by 10% from the FY2025 budget.

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SEN. GOUNARDES’ BILL WOULD REDUCE
CAR DEPENDENCY AND EMISSIONS

STATEWIDE — LEGISLATION FROM STATE SENATOR ANDREW GOUNARDES (D-26) WOULD REQUIRE NEW YORK TO REDUCE VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED BY 20% and expand transportation options to meet climate and equity goals. The legislation (S1981A/Assembly version A4120A) sets a bold but achievable target to reduce the total annual “vehicle miles traveled” (VMT) in New York State by one-fifth by 2050. Senator Gounardes’ legislation would reduce car dependency by requiring that state, county and town projects that expand road or highway capacity undergo a VMT assessment prior to approval. The positive results would mean 227 million metric tons of carbon emissions avoided over 25 years; an average annual household savings of $3,750 in fuel, vehicle maintenance and depreciation; and 4,940 fewer deaths per year in reduced traffic crashes, improved air quality and increased physical activity.

As New York State rules require that all new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035, the above impacts could become even more significant.

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BROWNSVILLE MAN CHARGED WITH HIDING
CORPSE, TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE

BROWNSVILLE — THE NYPD ON WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21, ARRESTED AND CHARGED A BROWNSVILLE MAN IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF A WOMAN who was found unconscious inside his apartment the previous day. Reginald Newkirk, 51, of 94 Rockaway Parkway, has been charged with Concealment of a Human Corpse, Tampering with Physical Evidence and Criminal Tampering. Police responding to a 911 call within the northeasternmost corner of the 67th Precinct boundary, just after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, found the woman unresponsive; EMS upon its arrival declared her deceased. Her identity has been withheld pending family notification.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was as of press time investigating the cause of death.

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US SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO HEAR CASES
CONTESTING RENT STABILIZATION LAWS

CITYWIDE — THE U.S. SUPREME COURT HAS HANDED AN APPARENT VICTORY TO TENANTS AND THEIR ADVOCATES BY REFUSING TO HEAR TWO CASES IN WHICH LANDLORDS ARE APPEALING New York City’s rent stabilization laws, report several news agencies. The rent-stabilization laws, which took effect in 1969, cover any building constructed before 1974 with six or more units. Under the law, owners are required to offer tenants lease renewals in most cases, and to extend leases to family members living in the unit when necessary. The plaintiff landlords, comprising a group of limited liability companies, argued that the laws violate their rights to evict tenants after their leases expire.

Meanwhile, a report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last week confirmed what New Yorkers have already experienced: rents are already too high, with 38.9% of households laying out more than 30% of their income for housing their heads, and 20% paying more than 50% of their income for rent or home ownership.

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MAYOR PLANS TO REPURPOSE NYPD ROBOT,
BUT REMAINS MYSTERIOUS ON DETAILS

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS PLANS TO REPURPOSE THE KNIGHTSCOPE K5 ROBOT THAT WAS ON A TWO-MONTH TRIAL WITH THE NYPD LAST FALL until it was relegated to storage in the Times Square subway station, reports amNY. The wheeled robot, painted in white and emblazoned with the NYPD logo, is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 400 pounds and is equipped with cameras on all sides and a help button enabling civilians to speak with human police officers. Mayor Adams emphasized that technology such as K5 can help supplement the NYPD’s smaller force resulting from attrition and low recruitment. However, he hasn’t yet elaborated on his plans, and a contract expiration deadline with Knightscope is looming in a month.

Some may see an ironic connection between the K5 and the “Five is Alive!” sentient robot named simply Number 5, from the “Short Circuit” movies of the 1980s, starring Fisher Stevens and Ally Sheedy. Unlike its fictional predecessor, the K5 has a sleeker design, but the jury is still out on its personality.

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IN MEMORIAM
RABBI JULES HARLOW, CREATOR OF POETIC
CONSERVATIVE PRAYER BOOKS, DIES AT 92

WORLDWIDE — CONSERVATIVE JEWS AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE PRAYED FROM THE SIDDUR SIM SHALOM have integrated into their spiritual life the poetry of Rabbi Jules Harlow, who died in Manhattan on Feb. 12, reports the New York Times’ Ari L. Goldman. After his ordination, Rabbi Harlow worked for the Rabbinical Assembly, the association of Conservative rabbis, where he would stay until 1994, when he retired as director of publications. Rabbi Harlow played the clarinet, and his gift of music was melded into his prayer books, the first of which was the “Siddur Sim Shalom” (published in 1985).

The volume also included several original poems by Rabbi Harlow, among them “Changing Light,” which the Finnish poet Kaija Saariaho set to music. That work was premiered in Helsinki on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and made its Carnegie Hall premiere in 2003.

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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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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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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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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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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.

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

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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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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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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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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 P.S. 231K 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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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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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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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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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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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 Street 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.