What’s News, Breaking: Friday, March 8, 2024

March 8, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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ITALIAN ORGANIZATION HONORS
COUNCILWOMAN SUSAN ZHUANG

BENSONHURST — FIGLI MARIA SS. ADDOLORATA, A FRATERNAL Italian-American organization with a chapter in Bensonhurst, honored City Councilmember Susan Zhuang on March 3. Councilwoman Zhuang received the Distinguished Community Leader Award for her service to this community as a dedicated mother and public servant on Festa Della Donna (Women’s Day). “As we enter women’s history month, I am prouder than ever not just to be a woman but to be a mother to two beautiful girls. As a member of a female-majority City Council, I am proud to advocate for our community every day, said Zhuang as she accepted the award.

Since its founding 75 years ago by immigrants from the Italian coastal town of Mola in Bari, Italy, Figli Maria SS. Addolorata has been a haven for Italian Americans across Brooklyn. The Figli Maria SS. Addolorata has a chapter at St. Athanasius parish in Bensonhurst. A similar organization, the Congrega Maria SS. Addolorata, has its home at Sacred Heart-St. Stephen parish in Carroll Gardens.

Councilmember Susan Zhuang is pictured standing, at center.
Photo: Office of City Councilmember Susan Zhuang

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‘SPRING FORWARD’: DAILY SAVING TIME
BEGINS OVERNIGHT SATURDAY TO SUNDAY

NATIONWIDE — DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, WHICH SINCE 2007 WAS EXPANDED to run from the second Sunday in March until the first weekend in November, takes effect at 2 a.m. this Sunday, March 10. New Yorkers are reminded to turn forward all non-automatic clocks, such as on ovens or manual watches. (Most recent mobile devices, computers and vehicles have settings to activate Daylight Saving Time). Many Americans — except those in Arizona and Hawaii, which do not participate in the twice-yearly clock changing — will also want to get to sleep earlier on Saturday night, although for employees working nights, March 9-10, could mean a shorter shift.

Although Founding Father Benjamin Franklin originally in 1784 — and in jest — proposed extending daylight in Paris, the idea did not get put into practice until 1916 in Germany during World War I; the United States in 1918, and again during World War II. Congress standardized its practice starting in 1966.

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PENTAGON: IN-DEPTH REPORT FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF ALIENS OR UFO COVERUP BY GOVERNMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. — THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE HERE, FOLKS. A 62-page Pentagon report found no evidence that the government is covering up knowledge of UFO visits to Earth, aliens or extraterrestrial technology, the New York Times and other outlets reported Friday. “All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification,” Defense Department spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. But amid the growing conspiracy culture, the report is unlikely to calm the nation’s obsession with aliens, the Times concludes.

This despite the 1996 investigative report, “Witnessed: The True Story of the Brooklyn Bridge Abductions,” by artist and UFO researcher Budd Hopkins. “Either the best alien abduction story ever documented or a complete work of fiction,” wrote an Amazon reviewer with the moniker “I Want To Believe …”

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FDA ISSUES CONTAMINATION WARNING
ON CERTAIN MUSSELS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND

EAST COAST — THE FDA IS ADVISING RESTAURANTS AND FOOD RETAILERS NOT TO SERVE OR SELL AND TO DISPOSE OF MUSSELS and warning consumers not to eat mussels from Allen’s Fisheries (NL0047SP) due to possible contamination in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, harvested on Feb. 7, 2024 from harvest area AQ # 15, with final harvest date of Feb. 18, 2024 and shipped to distributors in New York and other East Coast states around Feb. 21. The FDA on March 1 received an advisory from the New Jersey Department of Health about an outbreak of illness associated with consumption of certain mussels. The cases experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Restaurants and retailers are advised to discard their supply of these products or to contact their distributor to arrange for return and destruction.

The FDA is awaiting further information on distribution of the mussels and will continue to monitor the investigation and provide assistance to state authorities.

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HOCHUL ANNOUNCES PLAN TO DEAL WITH MASSIVE MEDICAL INSURANCE CYBERATTACK

ALBANY — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ANNOUNCED ON FRIDAY THAT HEALTH INSURERS in New York have been directed to follow new protocols and to assist healthcare providers, to ensure New Yorkers have access to uninterrupted healthcare services. This action was taken after a cyberattack on health care platform Change Healthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, disrupted claims and payment systems for medications nationwide on Feb. 21. Patients around the country have been forced to choose between paying out of pocket for essential medications, including cancer drugs and insulin, or forgoing them entirely, NBC News reported.

The NYS Department of Financial Services has issued a letter to health insurers and other health benefit issuers instructing them how to ensure continuity of care following the Russian cyberattack.

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ARREST IN VIOLENT ATLANTIC AVE. SUBWAY STATION ROBBERY

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN — POLICE APPREHENDED A SUSPECT wanted for punching and robbing a 67-year man in the Atlantic Avenue subway station in January. Timothy McElroy, 36, was arrested and charged with robbery on Feb. 15 at 8:45 a.m. within the 60th Precinct, which includes Coney Island and Brighton Beach. During the attack, which took place at roughly 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21., McElroy allegedly approached the victim and punched him with a closed fist multiple times in the face, causing a minor laceration to the nose. He then forcibly removed the man’s bag and wallet, before fleeing on foot. The victim was treated on scene by EMS for minor injuries.

McElroy lives on West 94 St. in Manhattan.

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SUSTAINABLE REFRIGERANTS BEING TESTED
IN PILOT PROJECTS AT TWO NATIONAL CHAINS

STATEWIDE — TWO PROJECTS THAT THE NY STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION RECENTLY COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATE THE USE OF SUSTAINABLE REFRIGERANTS IN GROCERY STORES as a replacement for climate-altering greenhouse gas refrigerants. The projects, conducted at an Aldi and a Walgreens, both outside of New York City, could still have a major positive impact on Brooklyn, as models for future commercial sustainable refrigeration transitions in supermarkets and drugstores in disadvantaged communities. The DEC hopes to encourage businesses across New York to transition to natural refrigeration systems. Next, utilizing the test locations as training sites, will enable the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council to facilitate workforce development and help support the widespread adoption of climate-friendly technologies, including the ability to achieve required temperatures, energy efficiency, maintenance and ultimately total emission comparisons between equipment types.

The projects are expected to demonstrate New York’s efforts to address the upfront cost barriers of technology adoption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure food security.

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COUNCILMEMBER ZHUANG OFFERS
FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES

BENSONHURST TO SUNSET PARK — COUNCILMEMBER SUSAN ZHUANG (D-43) THIS WEEK LAUNCHED A SERIES OF COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES TO HELP SENIORS AND OTHER CONSTITUENTS WITH TAX SEASON. Her office has partnered with local senior centers, Met Council, and the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, to provide a series of tax services tailored to all members of the community in Chinese and English. Constituents aged 65 and over can get support filing for the senior tax credit at Councilmember Zhuang’s district office, 2015 Stillwell Avenue, which will also provide tax return support services during open office hours. Senior tax credit support services will also be held at the Asian Community Center, 746 61st St., in Sunset Park, Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m.

Other constituents may schedule an appointment via 718-307-7151 for help from the Met Council and NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, for help available on specific days: Tuesday, March 19; Monday, March 25; Monday, April 1 and Thursday, April 4 at Zhuang’s above-listed district office on Stillwell Ave.

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ADAMS’ ADMIN DENIES IT ‘FLUBBED’ FEDERAL MIGRANT AID PAPERWORK

CITYWIDE — OFFICIALS IN MAYOR ADAMS’ ADMINISTRATION DENIED claims they flubbed the paperwork required to unlock $107 million in federal migrant aid, arguing instead the rules need to be changed to meet the realities of the city, the Daily News reports. These rules involve reporting Alien Identification Numbers; spending the aid during migrants’ first 45 days in the country; and a cap on funding for hotel rooms. A Biden official told the News that the money hasn’t been released to the city because Adams’ team didn’t file the right paperwork. FEMA officials were dispatched to the city last week to help officials fill out the forms. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams’ chief adviser at City Hall, insisted the meeting never happened. But City Hall acknowledged to the News after the briefing that Lewis-Martin “misspoke” and that the meeting did actually take place.

The Biden administration said this week other U.S. cities, including Chicago, have managed to file the required paperwork. A spokesman for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to comment.

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NATIONWIDE HACK ON INSURANCE PAYMENT PROCESSOR LEAVES PATIENTS DESPERATE

NATIONWIDE — AS A HACK ON A MAJOR COMPANY that processes insurance payments to pharmacies nationwide stretches into its third week, many patients around the country have been forced to choose between paying out of pocket for essential medications, including cancer drugs and insulin, or forgoing them entirely, NBC News reports. Since the Feb. 21 Russian cyberattack on Change Healthcare — which completes 15 billion transactions a year — pharmacies have been scrounging in doctors’ offices for free sample medications for patients who can’t afford to pay. But there are no free samples for cancer patients whose life-saving meds can cost $16,000 a month. UnitedHealthcare, which owns Change Healthcare, didn’t answer questions about whether it paid a ransom. But cybersecurity experts pointed NBC to a bitcoin wallet that received a payment of more than $22 million.

Physician practices are also threatened by the hack, AMA President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld said in a release Friday. Change Healthcare has set a March 18 timeline for testing its claims systems, meaning stressed doctors’ offices and medical practices will need economic assistance to keep operating.

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PEDESTRIAN FATALITY COUNT RISES
AS DUMP TRUCK HITS WOMAN IN CROSSWALK

FLATBUSH — THE DUMP TRUCK WHICH HIT AND KILLED A FLATBUSH WOMAN ON THURSDAY, MARCH 7, IS THE SAME ONE INVOLVED in the fatal collision of a crossing guard in Queens last year, reports the Daily News. According to police and NYC Department of Transportation reports the NYPD responded to an early-morning vehicle collision on Thursday involving a pedestrian within the crosswalk, at the corner of Bedford and Tilden avenues in Flatbush. First responders tried to save the 58-year-old woman lying in the roadway but pronounced her deceased on the scene. An NYPD investigation revealed that the pedestrian, since identified as Maria Piovanetti of Tilden Avenue, had been walking within the marked crosswalk when a southbound 2014 Kenworth dump truck struck her.

The dump truck bore the same license plate as the Manolos Trucking LLC vehicle that struck NYPD school crossing guard Krystyna Naprawa in October, according to photos shared with the Daily News. NYPD CompStat was not yet updated as of press time to reflect Thursday’s tragedy.

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NEW BUSINESS ACCELERATOR COMING TO NAVY YARD WILL FOCUS ON WOMEN AND BIPOC ENTREPRENEURS

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD — A NEW $25 MILLION STATE-OF-THE-ART MANUFACTURING, INCUBATOR AND ACCELERATOR FACILITY, coming to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, will focus on helping launch and expand businesses in the health and beauty industry, especially those with Black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) and woman owners. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday, March 7, joined Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic, and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer and Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation President and CEO Lindsay Greene for the announcement of the business development facility — AYO Labs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They announced also that R.F. Wilkins Consultants has been selected to develop and operate the project, which is expected to create more than 900 direct and indirect jobs in the first five years, as well as strengthen the city’s position as a leader in the $450 billion health and beauty industry.

Once complete, AYO Labs will be one of the country’s largest Black woman-owned contract manufacturing facilities anchored in a business incubator and accelerator.

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MAIMONIDES’ SURGERY DEPT. HEAD IS CHAIRING NATIONAL BREAST CANCER CONFERENCE

BOROUGH PARK AND MIAMI — DR. PATRICK BORGEN, CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY AT MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER AND HEAD OF THE MAIMONIDES BREAST CENTER, WILL SERVE AS PROGRAM CHAIR for the 41st Annual Miami Breast Conference, taking place now through Sunday, March 10, at the Fountainebleau Miami Beach. The conference’s extensive practice-focused educational programming emphasizes clinical care, introducing and refining innovative breast cancer treatments from the field’s foremost experts to benefit patients receiving care across the country. Physicians’ Education Resource® organizes the conference, which brings together more than 1,000 of the top breast oncologists and surgeons from around the country, and is the largest and longest-running meeting of breast cancer care professionals in the United States.

A national leader in breast cancer care, the Maimonides Breast Center, which opened in 2005, is the only fully accredited Breast Center in Brooklyn, offering a full range of multidisciplinary treatments.

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STATE SEN. CHU INTERVENES IN PROBLEM WITH SPOILED, PROTEIN-LESS SCHOOL MEALS

BOROUGHWIDE — SPOILED DAIRY PRODUCTS AND MOLDY FOOD at several Brooklyn schools — including Brooklyn Tech, Edward R. Murrow and Midwood High School — have gotten the attention of State Senator Iwen Chu (D/WF-17), who has been inundated by constituents’ complaints within her far-stretching district over the matter. Sen. Chu, who represents a swatch of Brooklyn from the South Slope eastward to Kensington and southward to Gravesend, told NBC News 4 New York that families have sent her photos of some of the food, which has included moldy cream cheese, and a “gray mushy matter,” being served at some of the borough’s most academically-rigorous public high schools. The students told her also that meatless pizza is served very frequently, and other proteins are absent. “We need to provide quality nutrition, fresh lunch — not moldy oranges or moldy cream cheese,” said Chu.

Senator Chu sent a letter to both the mayor’s office and the city’s Department of Education (DOE) interrogating them over the meals, but is still awaiting explicit answers on “what exactly is the issue.”

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BOY TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY AFTER SCHOOL FINDS GUN IN HIS BAG

EAST NEW YORK — AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY WAS TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY ON THURSDAY, MARCH 7, AFTER BRINGING A GUN TO HIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, P.S. 158 in East New York, report 1010 WINS/CBS 880 and the Daily News. School officials were investigating a complaint from the parent of another 8-year-old child who had been threatened with the weapon, when they found the gun in the student’s backpack around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. NYPD officials told the Daily News that the .380 caliber handgun was in working order but unloaded.

The boy was then taken to the local NYPD precinct, where he was questioned and released to his parents, in accordance with NYPD policy on juvenile incidents. A letter was sent to the parents of the other students at P.S. 158, also known as the Warwick Community School.

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MTA SIGNS PLEDGE ON EQUITY IN AWARDING CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS

CITYWIDE — THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY ON THURSDAY, MARCH 7, SIGNED THE ‘EQUITY IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT’ PLEDGE to further its commitment to inclusion when awarding contracts for construction projects, Governor Kathy Hochul announced. The pledge affirms the MTA will ensure participation on at least $1 billion of work by Minority- and Women-owned (MWBE) or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms every year, award larger contracts to small businesses, as well as expand the pool of MW/DBE firms with which the MTA will work. The pledge will also increase discretionary contracts for design and engineering MWBE firms by 20% over the next five years.

The pledge-signing ceremony took place at the 14th Street subway station that serves the West Side’s 1, 2 and 3 trains. The station is currently undergoing Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility upgrades, utilizing the expertise of more than two dozen minority- or women-owned firms, with over $45 million in contracts to those firms.

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POPULAR SCHOOL MENU ITEMS TO RETURN

CITYWIDE — HUNGRY STUDENTS REJOICE: PUBLIC SCHOOL CAFETERIAS WILL ONCE AGAIN feature popular menu items like chicken dumplings, french toast sticks and bean and cheese burritos starting later this month or in April, reports Chalkbeat, caving to strong student demand. The decision to re-add the items to lunch menus comes after widespread outcry earlier this week following City Council testimony from the Office of Management and Budget that these and other dishes were cut because students were spending more time in school lunchrooms and eating too much, and assertions from Department of Education staff earlier in the year that budget cuts meant schools would not be able to provide the meals.

Not all the missing menu items are back — chicken drumsticks, guacamole, bagel sticks and cookies are still gone for now, although the DoE told Chalkbeat that it was looking at returning those dishes to cafeterias in the future.

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GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES FREE TAX PROGRAM

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR HOCHUL AND CODE FOR AMERICA ON WEDNESDAY announced the upcoming launch of a free online tool designed to help New Yorkers file their state taxes seamlessly. The pilot of FileYourStateTaxes is designed to integrate with the IRS’s new online Direct File tax preparation pilot program, and will allow New Yorkers to export their federal tax information and complete a state return “within minutes.” The two tools are designed to help lower- and middle-income households avoid overpaying, claim credits and save on tax preparation fees, and will open to the public on March 12, although since both are pilot programs, not all taxpayers may be eligible to use them, particularly those with more complicated needs.

More information on Direct File can be found online on the IRS’s webpage, along with eligibility requirements; more information on FileYourStateTaxes can be found on the program’s website, FileYourStateTaxes.org.

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STATE COMPTROLLER INITIATES SAFEGUARDS TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION VALUES

STATEWIDE — VARIOUS INITIATIVES ARE BEING PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION where some companies have scaled them back or faced allegations for doing so. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on Thursday, March 7, announced the initiatives, targeting issues at portfolio companies, aiming to safeguard these policies at a time when corporate leaders are deprioritizing these efforts. Comptroller Di Napoli, who is doing this in his role as trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, has filed shareholder proposals at Tesla Inc., Wells Fargo and Co., Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and United Health Group Inc. — corporations that have been impacted by allegations of discrimination or harassment — asking them to publicly report on their efforts to prevent harassment and discrimination, including the number of pending complaints, the number and dollar amounts of recent settlements, and the number of enforceable contracts that contain concealment clauses that restrict discussion of harassment or discrimination.

DiNapoli points out that diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental values of companies with sound, sustainable and profitable long-term strategies.

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GOVERNOR TOUTS NY’S ‘FULL ECONOMIC RECOVERY’ AS STATE GAINS 8.34M PRIVATE-SECTOR JOBS

STATEWIDE — “NEW YORK IS BACK!” DECLARED GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL, WHO IS CELEBRATING WHAT SHE SAYS IS THE STATE’S FULL ECONOMIC RECOVERY from the pandemic. The governor and the NYS Department of Labor on Thursday, March 7, announced data showing a total statewide private-sector job count of 8,346,200 jobs — the highest level on record. According to the new data, the state gained 47,000 private-sector jobs in January 2024 with key sectors like private education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and professional and business services driving job growth. The milestone follows signature initiatives by Gov. Hochul to help businesses and workers recover from the pandemic — including a $1 billion Small Business Rescue Plan and $450 million “Bring Back Tourism, Bring Back Jobs” recovery package — and builds on the governor’s commitment to making New York the most business-friendly and worker-friendly state in the nation.

Overall, the state has recovered 1,935,600 private-sector jobs since the height of the pandemic in April 2020.