What’s News, Breaking: Monday, February 26, 2024

February 26, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NY SENATOR GILLIBRAND WILL GIVE CONFERENCE
ON LEGALLY PROTECTING IVF CONCEPTION METHOD

CAPITOL HILL — RESPONDING TO AN UNPRECEDENTED DECISION FROM THE ALABAMA STATE SUPREME COURT that declared frozen embryos to be children, US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is convening an emergency video press conference on Tuesday morning, Feb. 27, to push for legislation to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology services. Combined with Alabama’s already strict anti-abortion laws, this ruling would impose harsh penalties on anyone responsible for destroying the embryos, even if inadvertently. The Alabama court’s decision particularly and adversely impacts in vitro fertilization (also known as IVF, available since 1978), which ironically means that couples wishing to conceive by IVF would be in danger of violating anti-abortion laws.

State legislatures have scrambled over the past week to draft bills that would protect in vitro fertilization by limiting the definition of frozen embryos being children to those already implanted in a mother’s uterus.

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APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS FOR CITY’S
GREEN FUND PATHWAYS GRANT PROGRAM

THE 2024 NYC GREEN FUND PATHWAYS GRANT PROGRAM IS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS, THE CITY PARKS FOUNDATION announced on Monday, Feb. 26, via Community Board 7 (serving Windsor Terrace and Sunset Park). The City Parks Foundation conducts fundraising and administers this grant program (with grants of up to $150,000 awarded) to support and encourage communities to invest in their local parks and open spaces. As part of the two-step application process, interested groups should first contact the Green Fund’s administrator to schedule a consultation, via email to [email protected]. Applicants then submit a Letter of Inquiry, for which the deadline is Thursday, March 7, at noon. Those invited to the next step will then submit a full application.

The Green Fund’s Pathways grant program enables sustained funding for New York City’s parks and open spaces and their non-profit partners by implementing system-wide policies and programs that bring long-term sustainability for non-governmental partners.

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WEAPONS AND NARCOTICS TRAFFICKER
GETS 10-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A BROOKLYN MAN WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAFFICKING FIREARMS AND NARCOTICS IN THE BOROUGH AND SELLING THEM to an undercover NYPD officer has been sentenced to a decade in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports. United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall in federal court here on Friday, Feb. 23, sentenced 48-year-old Ronald Delaespada to 10 years in prison for his role in a firearms trafficking scheme and for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. The defendant then wound up selling the items in the vicinity of Prospect Park South to a buyer who turned out to be an NYPD undercover officer.

Delaespada’s two co-defendants, both from Brooklyn, have pleaded guilty: Rayon Lovett pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges in February 2023 and was sentenced in October 2023 to 85 months imprisonment, while Owen Welch pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges in July 2023 and is currently awaiting sentencing.

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80 PHYSICIANS FROM MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER
RECOGNIZED AS TOP DOCTORS IN NATION

BOROUGH PARK — MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER AND 80 OF ITS PHYSICIANS ARE BEING RECOGNIZED as Top Doctors by Castle Connolly, with 40 unique specialties represented among the awardees. Moreover, six Maimonides physicians were recognized as Top Doctors this year for the first time, in areas of specialty including orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, otolaryngology, and gastroenterology. Maimonides made the announcement on Monday, Feb. 26, explaining that all awardees are peer-nominated, and thoroughly vetted by Castle Connolly’s physician-led research team. Doctors are meticulously selected based on achievement of excellence in clinical care as well as other criteria like interpersonal skills.

“Fourteen percent of Maimonides doctors were named to this list that represents the top 7% of doctors in the country,” said Dr. John Marshall, Chief Medical Officer, Maimonides Health. “Maimonides doctors continue to raise the bar in patient care every day.”

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36 CLINICIANS AT SOUTH BROOKLYN HEALTH
WIN AWARD FOR HIGH-QUALITY PATIENT CARE

CONEY ISLAND — CLINICIANS’ ATTENTION TO PATIENT CARE HAS WON for NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health the New York State Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation. This award, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, nonprofit organization, goes to 36 clinicians from the complex’s primary care department being recognized for delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. The PCMH designation is granted to primary care practices that have implemented a delivery model of care that ensures access, communication and shared responsibility among a cross-section of providers, including doctors, nurses and social workers, who must work together to improve patient health outcomes. The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a primary care model that evaluates clinicians and practices that use teamwork and information technology to improve care and patients’ experiences.

NYC H+H’s South Brooklyn Health campus includes the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital — named for the late Supreme Court Associate Justice from Brooklyn — which opened in early 2023.

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BROOKLYN NATIVE SERVES ABOARD USS HIGGINS WARSHIP

BROOKLYN TO PHILIPPINE SEA — BROOKLYN NATIVE TYSHANE DUNCAN is serving in the US Navy as an Operations Specialist Second Class. He is pictured establishing communications with the repair lockers during a General Quarters drill. He’s been serving aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) while operating in the Philippine Sea. Higgins is forward deployed and assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th fleet’s principal surface force.

Guided missile destroyers are warships that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Hannah Fry

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PERP STABS MAN, STEALS TRUCK
AT CHURCH CONSTRUCTION SITE

EAST FLATBUSH — A PERPETRATOR ON FRIDAY, FEB. 23, SLASHED A 60-YEAR-OLD MAN INSIDE A CHURCH BUILDING CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION in East Flatbush, before making off with the victim’s Chevy pickup truck, reports 1010 WINS News. The victim allegedly got into an argument with the stabber, who had entered the building at 888 East 56th St., identified by 1010 WINS as the future home of Rehoboth Open Bible Church of Avenue D in East Flatbush. After the argument grew violent, the suspect stabbed the victim twice in the neck with an unidentified object before fleeing in the victim’s Chevy pickup truck. The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition as of press time.

According to the congregation’s website, Rehoboth Open Bible Church was founded in December 1978, as part of the national Open Bible Churches, Inc. based in Des Moines, Iowa. The congregation moved to its current location in 1981 and the website indicated a “location opening soon” on East 56th St.

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NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY DESIGNATES TRUMP AS ‘PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE’

DYKER HEIGHTS — AT A MEETING OF ITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IN DYKER HEIGHTS, Brooklyn, the NYS Conservative Party announced Saturday that former President Donald Trump is its “presumptive nominee” for president in 2024. With 56% reporting, remaining county committees are expected to fall in line. “While some counties have yet to confirm their nominee, it’s abundantly obvious that Mr. Trump will again be our candidate for President,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar. According to the Board of Elections, the party had roughly 164,826 members statewide as of February 2024, with 4,861 in Brooklyn, where it is headquartered. (This is versus 6,404,069 Democrats and 2,903,144 Republicans statewide.)

The party’s state legislative agenda includes the abolition of migrant-friendly sanctuary cities; the repeal of criminal justice reforms; the repeal of mail-in early voting and no excuse absentee voting; and the repeal of Congestion Pricing. The party also opposes free college education or the forgiveness of student loans and holds other conservative notions.

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COLUMBIA FORUM RECOGNIZES INNOVATIONS
OF BLACK ENERGY-SECTOR LEADERS

CLINTON HILL — COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S CENTER ON GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY CO-SPONSORS A PANEL DISCUSSION FOCUSING ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF BLACK LEADERS IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION movement, Brooklyn Community Board 2 has announced. The invitation-only panel discussion, held at a Clinton Hill Church this Tuesday, Feb. 27, will bring together innovators within the Black community who have made contributions in the energy sector with its diverse disciplines, particularly those who have contributed significantly to promoting energy equity and addressing the social and economic justice issues related to climate change and the energy transition. Speakers are Aaron Choo, National Grid’s Vice President Gas Field Operations & Capital Programs; Retha Fernandez, Strategic Engagement Manager, National Grid Ventures, Community Offshore Wind; and Andrew Kamau, Managing Director, International Programs, Energy Opportunity Lab, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA.

Participants will brainstorm solutions to ensure that future leaders have the awareness and access to educational opportunities necessary to drive progress in the energy sector.

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RIDERS: DESPITE NEW BUS LANE, BROOKLYN’S B41 STILL TOO SLOW

DOWNTOWN — SERVICE IS STILL SLOW ON FLATBUSH AVENUE’S B41 BUS ROUTE, and some customers have to take dollar vans instead to get to a subway station — despite a bus lane redesign completed last month on Livingston Street, BkReader reports. Issues like slow speeds, infrequent buses and “bus-bunching” (when multiple buses arrive at a stop at the same time in bunches) continue to frustrate riders, who say there still aren’t enough B41 buses running.

“Our redesign of Livingston Street has transformed what was a congested, double-parked corridor into two-way fully protected and dedicated bus lanes to get bus riders where they’re going faster — while also preserving access and enhancing safety for everyone,” said city Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez in a release after the lane was installed.

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BELOVED FULTON HOT DOG KING IN D’TOWN BK CLOSES, MAY REOPEN ON ELM

DOWNTOWN — CENTURY-OLD FULTON HOT DOG KING HAS LOST ITS LEASE and is temporarily closing its doors, News12 reports. Serving the community in different Downtown Brooklyn locations for more than 100 years, its storefront has been a fixture at 492 Fulton St. since the 1980s. The business is eying a move to 25 Elm Place, just down the street.

“That location has been supplying hot dogs since I was a kid over 60 years ago when Abraham and Strauss was around, May’s Dept. Store, Woolworths, Martin’s Dept. Store and a few more that I can’t remember,” said one local on the NextDoor website.

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LEGAL WEED RETAILER IN COBBLE HILL LEFT IN LIMBO AS ROGUE SHOPS FLOURISH

COBBLE HILL — A COBBLE HILL WOMAN WHO HAS FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES to open a legal cannabis shop has been left to twist in the wind by the state as illegal shops flourish all around her, abc7ny reports. Iris Ladao, a neighborhood resident and social equity applicant, jumped through all the paperwork hoops and received unanimous support from the community board and the union. She took out a long-term lease for a space at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street. Now she pays rent and waits, with no license in sight and conflicting messages from the state. Meanwhile, within five blocks of her location, a dozen illegal smoke shops flourish.

“This isn’t sustainable. I can’t do this for that much longer,” she told abc7ny.

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HISTORIC BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT THEATER TO REOPEN IN MARCH

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE HISTORIC BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT THEATER, A STORIED but long-defunct venue used as a gymnasium by Long Island University for many years, is set to reopen next month as a performance space after completing a multimillion-dollar renovation restoring the former movie palace to its glitzy original state. The venue is notable for being an early hotspot for jazz performers in Brooklyn, once hosting notables like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. It also was the venue for many of pioneer disc jockey Alan Freed’s rock-and-roll shows in the 1950s, whose performers ranged from Buddy Holly to Little Richard. The Paramount’s new incarnation pays tribute to its past, offering a “grand stage” for musicians and the “intimate” VIP Ella’s Lounge, along with extensive preservation of the theater’s elaborate decorations and fixtures.

The Brooklyn Paramount opens its doors to the public on March 27 and will host a lineup of 45 shows this year, with tickets currently on sale for spring performances by artists including Damian and Stephen Marley, PinkPantheress, Busta Rhymes, Belle & Sebastian and more.

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NO BULL! PRO BULL RIDING COMING TO BROOKLYN; ‘MAVERICKS’ TO BE BASED AT BARCLAYS CENTER

DOWNTOWN — A PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING TEAM, THE NEW YORK MAVERICKS, is coming to Brooklyn, with Barclays Center as its home base, Avenue Sports Fund announced Friday. The inaugural “homestand” event is scheduled for August 9-10, and will be the first time the Brooklyn arena will host a bull riding event in its almost 12-year history. The Mavericks will be part of the Professional Bull Riders league, and its roster will begin to take shape when up to six riders are selected in the 2024 Expansion Draft, scheduled for April in New York City, followed by drafts for new riders and free agents.

“Barclays Center is a world-class venue, and our goal is to build a championship bull riding team in the heart of Brooklyn to represent the entire state of New York,” said Marc Lasry, Avenue Capital’s Chairman, CEO and leader of Avenue Sports Fund.

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BILL WOULD INCREASE LAGGING FUNDS FOR KIDS’ SUMMER MEALS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — REP. DAN GOLDMAN (NY-10) JOINED REP. YVETTE CLARKE (NY-09) and Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) in introducing the ‘Summer Nutrition Parity Act,” which would increase the funds going to local meal providers to feed children during the summer. The national School Lunch Program provides 40 cents worth of USDA products per meal, but the Summer Food Service Program only provides 1.5 cents worth of products. This is due to the fact that summer program rates have not been adjusted for inflation in decades, the officials said in a statement Friday.

“Hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, nor does inflation take a summer hiatus,” said Goldman — father of five and a founding member of the Congressional Dads’ Caucus.

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DISABILITY GROUPS SUE TLC OVER LACK OF ACCESSIBLE CABS

CITYWIDE — A COALITION OF DISABILITY GROUPS filed a motion in federal court on Wednesday to compel the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission to comply with a 2014 settlement requiring that at least 50% of yellow taxis (both authorized and active medallions) be wheelchair accessible by 2020. Despite an extension, TLC “has not only failed to reach the 50% accessibility threshold but are seeking to escape their obligation altogether,” according to a coalition statement. Currently, 32% of authorized medallion cabs and 42% of active cabs are accessible. The shortfall affects wheelchair users’ employment, health and ability to travel at night, the filing said.

“When we settled with the city, Federal Judge George Daniels called our agreement ‘one of the most significant acts of inclusion in this city since Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers,’ yet now Mayor Adams and the TLC propose rolling back this landmark achievement,” said Joe Rappaport, executive director of Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled and member of Taxis For All.

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HISTORIAN & ARCHIVIST MARTHA FOLEY TO SPEAK AT MONTAGUE BID’S ANNUAL MEETING

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ARCHIVIST AND HISTORIAN MARTHA FOLEY will be the featured speaker at the Montague Street BID’s annual meeting this year, reports the Brooklyn Heights Blog. Formerly an archivist for the NYC Parks Department in the Arts & Antiquities Division, Foley is a longtime volunteer and archivist at the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange, along with private clients. (She is also an honorary contributor to the Brooklyn Heights Blog, by virtue of being married to BHB’s Claude Scales.)

The meeting takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m. See the Brooklyn Heights Blog for details.

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GETS 10 YEARS FOR TRAFFICKING GUNS, DRUGS AROUND PROSPECT PARK SOUTH

DOWNTOWN — A ‘CAREER CRIMINAL’ WHO SOLD 17 GUNS around Prospect Park South, including semi-automatic assault-style rifles, was sentenced Friday at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall sentenced Ronald Delaespada for his role in the firearms trafficking scheme and for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Delaespada’s co-defendant and brother Owen Welch pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking charges in July 2023 and is currently awaiting sentencing.

“Delaespada is a career criminal who sold illegal guns, including an assault-type rifle, near a school, a church and on bustling streets in the heart of Brooklyn, without regard for how these lethal weapons could be used,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “Today’s sentence will keep the defendant off the street for years, a punishment he deserves for his blatant disrespect for the law and his dangerous conduct.”

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COMMUNITY BOARD 7 VOTES FOR 3RD AVE. SAFETY PLAN

SUNSET PARK – COMMUNITY BOARD SEVEN VOTED IN FAVOR OF A DOT TRAFFIC-CALMING plan for southern Third Avenue by a 31-1 margin on Wednesday night, reports Streetsblog. The proposed “road diet” would cut the busy street between 29th and 54th streets from three lanes in each direction to two and add bike paths, protected parking lanes and pedestrian islands. Traffic deaths on Third Avenue have spiked in recent years, due in part to BQE drivers opting to instead take the surface street, which runs under the elevated highway. Fourteen people have died there since 2016, prompting residents and board members alike to agitate for DOT fixes.

A DOT spokesman said in a statement that the agency would conduct a traffic analysis before settling the details of the road diet proposal; CB7 plans to draft a letter to the DOT in support of the plan.

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FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH CITY HOSPITALS

CITYWIDE — FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE THIS SEASON FOR LOWER-INCOME NEW YORKERS AT THE CITY’S PUBLIC HOSPITAL SYSTEM, thanks to a partnership between the mayor and several organizations. Mayor Adams announced on Friday, Feb. 23 that he, along with NYC Health + Hospitals, the NYC City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Grow Brooklyn and other groups will offer free in-person and virtual tax preparation to New Yorkers who earn $85,000 or less annually and file as a family, or those who earn $59,000 or less annually and file as an individual or couple without dependents. Brooklyn in-person sites include MetroPlusHealth – Brooklyn, 2221 Church Avenue in Flatbush; NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway, 815 Broadway in Bushwick (zip 11206); for either of these, call (347) 682-5606. NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, East New York, at 2094 Pitkin Avenue, 1st Floor, P31, Brooklyn, NY 11207 is also offering the service; call (718) 784-0877.

Being able to secure and keep one’s refund and/or child tax credit is a vital component of this free tax prep service.

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STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF CONGESTION PRICING

GOWANUS — CONGESTION PRICING HAS ITS ALLIES in State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, who on Friday, Feb. 23, rallied with advocates at the Smith-9th Streets subway station in Gowanus. The elected officials rallied in support of congestion pricing, which they say will provide funding for critically needed ADA accessibility upgrades at stations across the city. The group also urged for a quick resolution to lawsuits being brought by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and others against congestion pricing, noting that a delay in congestion pricing’s implementation would also delay elevator installations and other accessibility upgrades.

Congestion pricing is currently in the public comment period, which ends on Monday, March 11. The MTA will be reviewing all comments equally regardless of how they are submitted: online; via email to [email protected]; via USPS to CBD Tolling Program, 2 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10004; via phone to 646-252-7440; or fax to (212) 504-3148, with Attention to CBDTP Team.

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NYPD RELEASES IDENTITY OF JEEP PASSENGER WHO SUCCUMBED TO COLLISION INJURIES

CLINTON HILL — POLICE HAVE RELEASED THE IDENTITY OF AN 88-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO DIED earlier this month from injuries sustained during a tractor collision in November. NYPD reports that just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, police responded to a 911 call for a vehicle collision at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Clinton Avenue, in Clinton Hill, and within the 88th Precinct. According to the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, a 2022 International Tractor traveling westbound on Atlantic Avenue was stopped for a steady red traffic signal at Clinton Avenue when it was struck from behind by a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler’s front-seat passenger, identified as Vashti J. Turner of Sterling Place in Crown Heights, sustained internal trauma and was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition. She was later transferred to another facility, but died of her injuries on Feb. 9.

At the time of the collision, the Jeep Wrangler’s driver, a 59-year-old woman, had remained at the scene, as did the 25-year-old male driver of the International Tractor.

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RESIDENTS: NYC NEEDS TO DEAL WITH ISSUES AT HUGE SHELTER NEAR BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

NAVY YARD/CLINTON HILL — RESIDENTS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY NYC IS NOT DOING ENOUGH to deal with the logistical and humanitarian issues created by a massive migrant shelter on Hall Street in Clinton Hill, near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The shelter is already housing 3,000 with more to come, THE CITY reports. Health + Hospitals recently told CB2 that the complex has the capacity for as many as 6,000 people, while a warehouse across the street could house hundreds more. Local schools are trying to manage, feed and clothe a surge of new students — many of whom have received their 60-day notice and have no idea where they will be next.

Councilmember Crystal Hudson has heard concerns about trash and late-night disturbances, and said there’s been a surge in the homeless under the nearby BQE, made up of evicted shelter residents.