What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, March 12, 2024

March 12, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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MISSING GIRL IN SHEEPSHEAD BAY

SHEEPSHEAD BAY — POLICE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC FOR HELP IN FINDING MISSING teen Polina Kovalevska, age 14, who was last seen leaving her residence near the Sheepshead Bay B/Q station on the night of Monday, March 11. Polina is described as approximately 5’3” and 125 pounds, with a light complexion and brown hair, and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweater, black sweatpants and white shoes.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (Twitter) @NYPDTips.

Missing girl Polina Kovalevska. All calls are strictly confidential.

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TOWN HALL MEETING ON SUNY DOWNSTATE

FLATBUSH — COMMUNITY BOARDS 9 AND 13 ARE HOSTING A JOINT TOWN HALL meeting on Monday to discuss the future of SUNY Downstate hospital, which has been struggling with ongoing budget issues and building repair needs. After Governor Hochul in January directed the university system to create a “transformation plan” to rehabilitate the struggling hospital, union leaders for staff at Downstate have warned that SUNY’s proposal would see crucial departments like its mental health program relocated to other facilities, potentially leading to “downsizing” in the form of job losses and the elimination of residency placements for medical students, as well as the conversion of some of the campus to other uses like housing. Advocates worry that the plan is a way to jumpstart the closure of yet another Brooklyn hospital.

The town hall meeting will take place on Monday, March 18, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the High School for Public Service.

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NEW APARTMENT TOWER PLANNED FOR RED HOOK

RED HOOK — A MAJOR NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IS PLANNED for the site of a current Red Hook strip mall, reports Crain’s New York Business. Developer Express Builders has filed plans to build an 8-story-tall, 227,000-square-foot tower at 498 Columbia Street, offering 371 apartments and community space on the ground floor. The tower is part of a proposal for the site that would see two more similar buildings erected on the grounds of the current one-story commercial building, as well as a landscaped green area; the site is part of the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program. Decontamination efforts are set to begin this spring.

Development in Red Hook could become more attractive after this week’s passage by the City Council of the Our Air Our Water Act, which requires the large cruise ships that dock at the neighborhood’s terminal to connect to the electrical grid instead of burning diesel fuel, meaning local air pollution will be significantly reduced.

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LAWMAKERS CALL FOR EXPANDED FREE BUS SERVICE

CITYWIDE — SENATE DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER Michael Gianaris (SD-12) and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday called for the state to expand the pilot fare-free bus program created in last year’s budget by the Governor and legislature, which rolled out in September on Brooklyn’s B60 bus line, among others citywide. NYC Transit President Richard Davey, in December, called the pilot a major success, with ridership increasing up to 20% on the fare-free lines. Gianaris and Mamdani want Albany to invest $45 million in continuing the program past its set end date this month and expanding free fares to more lines as part of their “Get Congestion Pricing Right” proposal, which seeks to shore up the city’s public transit capacity ahead of a predicted surge in ridership after the planned implementation of congestion pricing in lower Manhattan later this year.

While the controversial congestion pricing plan has gained crucial federal approval, it still faces hurdles in the form of multiple lawsuits from concerned drivers, who oppose proposed fares as high as $15 per car.

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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON SCHERMERHORN TOWER

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — WORKERS HAVE BEGUN EXCAVATING AT 88 SCHERMERHORN Street in Downtown Brooklyn, the future site of a 20-story mixed-use tower, reports New York YIMBY, that when finished, is expected to offer more than 10,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as 58 apartments. The building, dubbed the Modavie by its owners, is set to rise to 185 feet above street level. Renderings show full-length windows and bronze geometric details planned for the future.

Earlier plans for the site, formerly a four-story townhouse, called for a hotel project, which was strongly opposed by neighbors.

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HOSPITAL IN BROOKLYN SETTLES FRAUD CLAIMS
ON ILLICIT PHYSICIAN REFERRAL FEES

PARK SLOPE AND DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN/BROOKLYN METHODIST HOSPITAL HAS SETTLED HEALTH CARE FRAUD CLAIMS FOR $17.3 million with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney/Eastern District of New York, US Attorney Breon Peace announced on Tuesday. The settlement agreement requires the hospital to pay $17.3 million to resolve allegations that it paid unlawful kickbacks to physicians at the hospital’s chemotherapy infusion center. The payments were made pursuant to a contractual arrangement that linked the compensation physicians received to the number of referrals the physicians made for services at the Center. The agreement also resolves claims that physicians at the infusion center failed to adequately supervise the chemotherapy services. The hospital voluntarily self-disclosed the issues to the United States.

Medicare and Medicaid rules prohibit physicians from receiving any kind of remuneration in exchange for patient referrals for services to ensure that physicians make medical decisions based solely on the needs of their patients.

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CITY, PORT AUTHORITY REACH AGREEMENT
TO FUND NEW, MODERNIZED BUS TERMINAL

CITYWIDE — A NEW AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY WILL SUPPORT the $10 billion replacement and expansion of the busy 73-year-old Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Announcing the agreement on Tuesday, March 12, Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and Port Authority officials said that the city has committed 40 years of tax revenue — expected to help the Port Authority raise an estimated total of up to $2 billion, 20 percent of the project cost — from three potential new commercial developments on three sites. The new Midtown Bus Terminal will replace the existing 73-year-old terminal, which has been deemed functionally obsolete. It will include a new 2.1 million square foot main terminal, a separate storage and staging building and new ramps leading directly into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel.

Two of the sites will be positioned atop the new bus terminal, with the third at a nearby site owned by the Port Authority and private owners.

A rendering of the proposed Port Authority Bus terminal serving New York City.<br>Image courtesy of Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office — A rendering of the proposed Port Authority Bus terminal serving New York City.
Image courtesy of Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office

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NEW TASK FORCE SEIZES 73 VEHICLES
IN ITS FIRST STING OPERATION

STATEWIDE — A NEW INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE LAUNCHED ON TUESDAY, MARCH 12, WILL CRACK DOWN ON “GHOST CARS” ON CITY STREETS, and as of yesterday had already seized 73 vehicles, Governor Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced jointly with other officials on Tuesday, March 12. The task force’s primary focus is to remove vehicles with fraudulent or modified license plates — and those with no tags at all — from city streets. Such vehicles are often unregistered, uninsured, or stolen. This crime, though not new, proliferated during the pandemic, with drivers masking their identities by using counterfeit temporary paper plates to evade detection. In some cases, vehicle operators in New York City used this cloak of anonymity to commit more serious violent crimes, including hit-and-runs, robberies, and shootings.

The day before the announcement, in what the officials deemed their successful inter-agency operation, involving the NYPD, DMV and Port Authority, authorities impounded 73 cars, issued 282 summonses, and arrested eight individuals.

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NY STATE’S FREIGHT RAIL AND PORT LINES
RECEIVE $111.1M TO MODERNIZE

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ON TUESDAY, MARCH 12, ANNOUNCED A HISTORIC $111.1 MILLION INVESTMENT IN NEW YORK’S port and freight rail infrastructure. The funding, the largest amount ever awarded under the state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program, will underwrite nearly 40 projects that will help modernize key freight lines and port facilities, allowing them to remain competitive in the global economy and fueling job creation in every region of the state. These investments will enhance the safety and resiliency of these vital freight corridors, and support New York’s nation-leading agenda to combat climate change by facilitating greater use of zero-emission equipment and reducing truck traffic and congestion.

The only project in the New York City Region at this point to receive funding from this investment is a mitigation plan, with $5.528 million being given to rail line CSX to alleviate congestion-related delays, increase capacity and optimize freight operations along the Fremont Industrial track between Oak Point in the Bronx and Fresh Pond Yards in Queens.

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GOVERNOR’S ANTI-THEFT PLAN WOULD PROTECT
RETAIL AND ONLINE BUSINESS OWNERS

STATEWIDE — SMALL-BUSINESS OWNERS, LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL JOINED FORCES on Tuesday, March 12, to support a comprehensive statewide crackdown on organized retail theft. Gov. Hochul has included in her FY25 Executive Budget proposal $25 million to underwrite a dedicated retail theft unit in the New York State Police, $15 million for District Attorneys and local law enforcement, and $5 million to cover security costs for businesses. Her plan also includes new legislation to protect retail workers from assault and to crack down on online sales of stolen goods. The plan would introduce legislation to establish criminal penalties for online marketplaces and third-party sellers that foster the sale of stolen goods and increase criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers, and establish a NYS Police Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit, among other provisions.

Among lawmakers taking part in the event was Brooklyn State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-23), whose district stretches along the shoreline from Staten Island to Sheepshead Bay.

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FLEA MARKET WILL BENEFIT
ST. DOMINIC’S OUTREACH PROGRAM

BENSONHURST — A FLEA MARKET TO SUPPORT THE ST. DOMINIC’S OUTREACH PROGRAM for homeless and needy persons will take place this Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The proceeds of the flea market, along with any direct personal donations, fund the efforts of the program that provides clothing, shoes, showers and a meal to homeless individuals. As this is an indoor flea market, it will be held rain or shine at St. Dominic Church, 2001 Bay Parkway.

Visit brooklyneagle.com for more coverage on the 10th anniversary of St. Dominic’s Outreach Program.

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BROOKLYN OFFICIALS APPLAUD $5.6M FEDERAL GRANT TO ‘REIMAGINE ENTIRE BQE CORRIDOR’

BROOKLYN/QUEENS — THE U.S. DOT HAS APPROVED A $5.6 MILLION ‘RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES’ GRANT to advance a redesign of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway’s (BQE) North and South corridors. The expressway has divided neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Sunset Park for almost 70 years, bringing noise, pollution and increased levels of asthma and heart disease to disadvantaged communities. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had urged Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg to prioritize the grant. “This grant is the catalyst we need to finally put together a comprehensive plan to reimagine the entire BQE corridor and to address environmental justice issues that plague the northern and southern portions of the expressway,” Jeffries, Goldman and Velazquez said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Grant funds will help develop evaluation criteria for proposals and then complete a conceptual design, as well as fund community engagement throughout the project. (This is a breaking story. Check back at brooklyneagle.com for more.)

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’45 IS THE NEW 50′ ON STARTING COLONOSCOPIES
SAYS BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER SPECIALIST

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A GASTROENTEROLOGY SPECIALIST AT THE BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER IS ADVISING PATIENTS THAT “45 IS THE NEW 50,” for getting one’s baseline colonoscopy screening completed. Madhavi Reddy, MD, Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, says that while most patients begin screenings at age 50, new colon cancer prevention guidelines have been released: Individuals ages 45-75 should undergo screening for colon cancer, irrespective of symptoms, but that people with a personal or familial history or risk for colon cancer may need to begin screening even earlier. The new guidelines recommend that colonoscopies typically be done every 10 years unless results indicate more frequent screening. Patients older than 75 should consult with their doctor regarding continued screening.

Colon cancer ranks as the third most common cancer in both men and women, making prevention a critical focus. Along with colonoscopy, TBHC’s Gastroenterology Division also offers a comprehensive array of diagnostic and treatment procedures for various gastrointestinal and liver conditions.

Madhavi Reddy, MD (center, directly at a computer), Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, reviewing colonoscopy results with her fellows. The division also has a fellowship program, which trains physicians in the specialty.
Photo: The Brooklyn Hospital Center

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SUBWAY-SURFING YOUTH INJURED IN FALL FROM CONEY-BOUND F TRAIN

PARK SLOPE — A YOUTH WHO FELL ONTO THE TRACKS AFTER SURFING AN F TRAIN ON SUNDAY miraculously survived, reports the Daily News. The 14-year-old boy was riding on top of an F train heading toward Coney Island when he fell at the Seventh Avenue station (near 9th St.) around 1:40 p.m. NYPD first responders, finding the boy conscious and responsive, got him transported to nearby NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition. Just last week a 10-year-old boy was caught while surfing an A train on the elevated train in the Rockaways, the Daily News pointed out in the same story. Fortunately, he merely got in trouble with the law, with the police writing up a juvenile report and later releasing the youth to his mother.

Another subway-surfing teen, Adam Reyes, was not so lucky; in January he was killed in a fall from another Coney Island-bound F train.

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FDNY OFFICIALS INVESTIGATE HECKLING INCIDENT AT PROMOTION CEREMONY

STARRETT CITY — AFTER FIREFIGHTERS ATTENDING LAST WEEK’S FDNY PROMOTION CEREMONY HECKLED THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL during her speech, officials are hunting down the culprits, reports The Hill, a newsletter covering the intersection of politics and business. Moreover, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has apologized for the hecklers’ behavior, reports the Daily News. During the ceremony, held at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York, a group of firefighters started chanting “Trump, Trump,” and booing Attorney General James. The attorney general, who was giving remarks for the swearing-in ceremony of Rev. Pamela Holmes-Saxton as the FDNY’s first African American female chaplain, reportedly chided the crowd for doing this at church and then, keeping her head and telling them to “simmer down,” quipped a thank you for “getting this out of your system.”

The hecklers were reportedly expressing their displeasure at Attorney General James’ victory in a civil fraud case against the former president.

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CB2 TO CONSIDER CO-NAMING DUMBO STREET ‘GLEASON’S GYM WAY’

DUMBO — BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY BOARD 2 WILL CONSIDER CO-NAMING Water Street between Adams and Washington streets in DUMBO as “Gleason’s Gym Way,” at the next meeting of its Transportation and Public Safety Committee on Thursday, March 21, at 6 p.m. Gleason’s, called the last remnant of boxing’s “Golden Age” in New York, opened in 1937 and moved to DUMBO in 1987. Gleason’s has trained greats including Jake LaMatta, Muhammed Ali and Gerry Cooney; has served as a home-away-from-home for champions including Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks; and launched female champs Heather Hardy, Sonya Lamonakis and more. The gym also trains actors and dancers, and provides children’s programs. Owner Bruce Silverglade with local businesses submitted the application for the co-naming.

The CB2 meeting will take place at 350 Jay St., 8th floor.

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CB2 TO CONSIDER CO-NAMING FT. GREENE CORNER ‘EMILY ANN MYRICK WAY’

FORT GREENE — BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY BOARD 2 WILL CONSIDER CO-NAMING the southwest corner of Carlton and Park avenues as “Emily Ann Myrick Way” at the next meeting of its Transportation and Public Safety Committee on Thursday, March 21, at 6 p.m. Emily Ann Myrick lived at the Walt Whitman Houses for more than 50 years, and was known as a legendary mother and grandmother in Fort Greene. She worked as a guidance counselor at P.S. 46, where she often dressed and fed the children, and gave out awards to kids who struggled the most. Her model was, “There’s no such thing as a bad child.” Myrick obtained her master’s degree at the age of 71, and was president of the Fort Greene Housing Association for many years. Her family and the community submitted the application for the co-naming.

The CB2 meeting will take place at 350 Jay St., 8th floor.

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COMPTROLLER AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS SET TO INTRODUCE AMBITIOUS HOUSING BUDGET

CITY HALL — AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUDGET CAMPAIGN WAS THE FOCUS of a press conference that City Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane William and other officials were holding at City Hall on Monday morning, March 11. The City Council’s Progressive Caucus housing organizations and labor leaders were introducing what is considered an ambitious affordable housing budget campaign to address the housing crisis and an eviction rate that tripled during 2023. According to a pre-event statement from Comptroller Lander’s office, “The most powerful tool the city has to address the housing crisis is the ability to finance and preserve permanently affordable housing.” Among the Brooklyn City Councilmembers who were expected to participate: Councilmember Jen Gutiérrez (D-34) Chi Ossé (D-36) Sandy Nurse (D-37), Alexa Avilés (D-38), and Shahana Hanif (D-39). Leaders from Habitat for Humanity, the Met Council on Housing, the Fifth Avenue Committee and several unions also participated.

Lander reported that working-class and low-income New Yorkers, some in essential but less-desirable jobs, are leaving the city at three times the rate of wealthy residents.

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HOCHUL: MTA’S COMMUTER RAILROADS SEE BEST-EVER FEBRUARY ON-TIME PERFORMANCES

STATEWIDE — BROOKLYNITES WHO USE THE REGIONAL COMMUTER RAILROADS may be pleased to learn that the MTA saw its best-ever February performance on Metro North and the LIRR last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, March 11. A record 96.3% of Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains operated on time during February, with Metro-North Railroad recording the best month in its history on East of Hudson service with a nearly perfect on-time performance of 99.3% on Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines. The LIRR’s February 2024 record includes 6,400 more monthly trains, as the railroad added a history-making 271 trains per day to its schedule to accompany the opening of Grand Central Madison last year.

Metro-North also achieved its record on-time performance during its aggressive infrastructure program involving a major switch replacement project on Grand Central Terminal’s upper level. During this period, the railroad also navigated two major snow events.

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CUNY’S APPRENTICESHIP DEGREE PROGRAM EXPANDS WITH $2M GRANT

CITYWIDE — CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK’S SUCCESSFUL APPRENTICESHIP DEGREE PROGRAM WILL BE RECEIVING A $2 MILLION EXPANSION, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, March 11. This $2 million investment will expand CUNY’s Associates of Applied Science College Apprenticeship program and increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities for students. The increased funding enables CUNY, in partnership with the New York Jobs CEO Council, to add more employers to its network currently providing paid apprenticeships to students seeking associate degrees. The number of participating companies has grown to include Bloomberg, Travelers and Northwell Health. These apprenticeships will be available at the seven CUNY community colleges and these four-year schools: New York City College of Technology, in Downtown Brooklyn, celebrating its 75th year, and Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights.

The expansion builds on a similar investment that New York State made last year that supported the creation of 12 apprenticeship programs embedded within degree programs during the 2023-2024 academic year.

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68 STUDENT WINNERS OF BPL HISTORY CONTEST ADVANCE TO STATE-LEVEL COMPETITION

CITYWIDE — THE CENTER FOR BROOKLYN HISTORY AT BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY ON MONDAY, MARCH 11, ANNOUNCED 68 STUDENTS HAVE WON TOP HONORS IN ITS New York City History Contest. Nearly 300 middle and high school students from 37 schools across the city, including Brooklyn Technical High School, participated, working individually or in groups. They completed 172 projects addressing the theme of Turning Points in History. Projects fit into one of five categories: websites, papers, documentaries, performances, and exhibits. The Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library was the host for New York City History Day. The winning projects covered a wide range of historical events, time periods, and people, including the U.S. Constitution, the significance of the Stonewall Riots, and, locally, the construction of the Williamsburg Bridge. The winners now advance to the state-level competition.

A Brooklyn Tech student, Clarissa Kunizaki, won first place in the Senior Paper category with her project, titled “Rising Up like Tigers: Unraveling Threads of Resistance in the 1982 Chinatown Garment Workers’ Strike.”

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BISHOP BRENNAN WILL OFFER MASS FOR CRISIS IN HAITI

FLATBUSH — BROOKLYN DIOCESAN BISHOP ROBERT BRENNAN INVITES THE FAITHFUL OF THE DIOCESE to join him in prayer for the humanitarian crisis that has erupted over the past week in Haiti. Bishop Brennan will preside at Mass on Monday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Innocents Church in Flatbush. The parish is that day’s stop on the Diocesan Lenten Pilgrimage. Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince, president of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference, reports through Brooklyn’s diocesan newspaper, The Tablet, that Haiti stands on the brink of civil war, with armed and organized gangs have overpowered local law enforcement, and blocking charitable organizations from helping those most affected. Flatbush has a significant Haitian-American and immigrant population.

The closure of the main port in Port-au-Prince has resulted in critical shortages of essential supplies. U.N. reports indicate that over half of Haiti’s 11 million people are struggling to access adequate food, and 1.4 million are facing starvation.

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CITY COUNCIL PASSES BILL REQUIRING SHORE POWER FOR CRUISE SHIPS IN RED HOOK

RED HOOK — THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE ‘OUR AIR OUR WATER ACT’ introduced by Councilmember Alexa Aviles (D-Red Hook/Sunset Park) on Thursday, March 7. The bill aims to alleviate pollution and severe traffic jams in Red Hook by requiring shore power for the giant cruise ships docking there, and provide traffic mitigation plans for such ships. “This is a community-led victory that’s been years in the making and I’m grateful to play a part in its passage,” Aviles said on Instagram. The bill’s passage was called “a big win for the community” by Community Board 6 and Red Hook community advocates. The city’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) opposed the bill.

The Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal is the only one on the East Coast that provides an electric shore power system, but the gargantuan MSC’s Meraviglia is currently unable to plug into it.