What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

March 13, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY’S PRESIDENT
WILL RECEIVE 2024 PILLAR OF NY AWARD

GREENWOOD HEIGHTS — RICHARD J. MOYLAN, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL LANDMARK GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY, WILL BE HONORED Thursday, March 14, at the 2024 Pillar of New York Awards. The Preservation League of New York State presents the Pillar of New York Awards to those who have taken extraordinary action to protect, preserve, and promote New York’s artistic and architectural heritage. Mr. Moylan, who has worked at The Green-Wood Cemetery for more than 50 years and who has served as president since 1986, transformed Green-Wood into a cultural center within its community by prioritizing education, arts programming, environmental initiatives, and historic preservation, setting a new standard for cemeteries across the country. Under Moylan’s leadership, the Cemetery gained National Historic Landmark status in 2006. Recently, Green-Wood embarked on a bold endeavor to create a one-of-a-kind Education & Welcome Center to serve its community.

Moylan is a recipient of the Fine Arts Federation’s highest honor and the 2016 Place Maker award of the Foundation for Landscape Studies.

Richard J. Moylan, president of the national landmark Green-Wood Cemetery.
Photo: Mike Sheehan

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ALL BUT 1 BROOKLYN CONGRESSMEMBER VOTE YES
ON BILL REQUIRING FOREIGN DIVESTMENT FROM TIKTOK

CAPITOL HILL — THE BILL TO BAN TIKTOK GOT ‘YEA’ VOTES FROM ALL BUT ONE OF BROOKLYN’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION on Wednesday, according to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. House Democratic (Minority) Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-8), and Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-9), Dan Goldman (D-10) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) voted for the bill. Rep. Malliotakis, issuing a statement on the more formally-named Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, explained that the bill doesn’t actually ban the app but rather forces ByteDance, which, she asserts is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, to divest from TikTok. “Currently, there are no safeguards on ByteDance to protect personal data, meaning the company can collect passwords, contacts, photos, texts, location and biometric data about our children and freely share it with the CCP,” she said.

The sole Brooklyn Congressmember to vote “nay” on the bill was Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-7/northern Brooklyn and Queens) who, as of press time, had not yet released a statement regarding her decision.

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HOUSE VOTES 352-65 ON BILL BANNING TIKTOK, AS
BROOKLYN LEADERS RAISE FREE-SPEECH CONCERNS

CAPITOL HILL — AMERICA’S 150 MILLION USERS OF TIKTOK, INCLUDING TOP INFLUENCERS IN BROOKLYN, could lose access to the video-sharing app now that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to ban the service, reports the Daily News. The House on Wednesday, March 13, voted 352-65 to pass the bill, with a rare bipartisan support on this divisive issue. The bill’s language would ban the popular video-sharing app unless its Chinese owner, ByteDance, divests in the company. American politicians have called TikTok a national security threat because they claim the Chinese government could gain access to users’ data, particularly through laws in China that require compliance with certain investigations.

However, the bill has its detractors, who claim that TikTok helped them become entrepreneurs. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s from Brooklyn, did not commit to bringing the bill into the upper chamber. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) said she voted for the ban. And Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-12), whose district formerly included Brooklyn, cited First Amendment issues for constituents who would lose the service.

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BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER, CLEARWAY HEALTH
PARTNER ON MEETING NEW HEPATITIS SCREENING RULES

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — THE BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER HAS PARTNERED WITH CLEARWAY HEALTH to comply with the State Department of Health’s new requirements on Hepatitis C screenings. Their partnership involves developing a screening and treatment program through their specialty pharmacy that will launch in May. The new program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center includes improved testing protocols, clinical workflows, patient education, and treatment plans for the emergency department, primary care, and maternal and fetal medicine. TBHC and Clearway also emphasize the importance of providing patients with getting the care and administrative help they need in obtaining prior authorizations from the patient’s health plan, finding vouchers and coupons, and ensuring patients comply with their medications.

HCV treatment requires specialty medication, and patients often encounter affordability obstacles with the specialty medications that HCV treatment requires. In some cases, patients’ health plans exclude these medicines from coverage tiers or assign high co-pays.

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STATE HEALTH DEPT. REQUIRES SCREENINGS
FOR HEPATITIS C STARTING IN MAY

STATEWIDE — TRYING TO REVERSE A NATIONWIDE SPIKE IN HEPATITIS C INFECTIONS AMONG ADULTS OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE, The NY State Department of Health will require everyone over 18 with a risk to be offered a screening test, starting on May 3. These new requirements align New York State with the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HCV screening recommendations. Individuals younger than 18 must also be offered a Hepatitis C screening if evidence or indication of risk activity exists. If a person’s Hepatitis C screening test is reactive, then a Hepatitis C ribonucleic acid test (RNA) must also be performed on the same specimen, or a second specimen collected at the same time as the initial hepatitis C screening test specimen, to confirm the diagnosis of current infection.

The Dept. of Health reports that the number of new hepatitis C infections has doubled since 2014.

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CITY HARVEST DELIVERS HALAL FOOD
FOR BROOKLYNITES OBSERVING RAMADAN

FLATBUSH — CITY HARVEST AND THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLES ORGANIZATION (COPO) based in Flatbush teamed up this month to help feed the community during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. City Harvest, New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, through its halal food program, delivered 10 pallets of dried dates and rice flour to COPO and five other agencies. AKC Commodities Inc. made this delivery possible by donating 30,360 pounds of dried dates — which is the customary first food that Muslims eat at the conclusion of each day’s fast. The organization works to ensure that Muslim New Yorkers facing food insecurity across the city can find culturally appropriate ingredients throughout Ramadan (readers can visit City Harvest online to find a local pantry).

The Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) was founded right after 9/11 to counter anti-Muslim hatred and misperceptions about Islam. The not-for-profit COPO has expanded to serve the South Asian community providing multiple services.

A City Harvest employee delivers boxes to COPO’s Coney Island Ave. headquarters.
Photo: Paul Frangipane/courtesy of City Harvest

COPO Founder and CEO Mohmmad Razvi (left) thanks the City Harvest employee.
Photo: Paul Frangipane/courtesy of City Harvest

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BROOKLYN JAIL CONSTRUCTION VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING MARCH 26

BOERUM HILL — A PUBLIC MEETING WITH THE DESIGN-BUILDER for the Brooklyn Borough-Based Jail Facility, planned for Atlantic Avenue and State Street in Boerum Hill, will take place online on Tuesday, March 26, from 6-7 p.m., according to the Cobble Hill Association. The builder will present an overview of the project’s construction approach, construction schedule and milestones, environmental monitoring plan and upcoming construction activities. RSVP online.

The design of the planned $3 billion Brooklyn Detention Center at 275 Atlantic Ave. has changed since an agreement was hammered out in 2019 — to the detriment of both the community and the inmates, residents and officials say.

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EVICTION OF LONG-ESTABLISHED FOOD PANTRY
ANGERS VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITY

PARK SLOPE — MEMBERS AT A COMBINED ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH IN PARK SLOPE ARE PROTESTING THE CLOSURE AND EVICTION OF THE HELPING HANDS FOOD PANTRY, as well as other ministries that serve needy and ill persons in their community. Father Frank Tumino, who was assigned to the linked parishes of St. Augustine-St. Francis Xavier in 2021 to bolster them during the pandemic, informed Helping Hands on Feb. 20 that its last day would be Saturday, March 16. Other long-established ministries, including a monthly dinner for AIDS patients and their families and a Christmas party for children of incarcerated persons, were also discontinued for some complicated reasons.

Diocesan spokesman John Quaglione in a statement to THE CITY credited Fr. Tumino (who had a Wall Street banking career background) with increasing attendance at the combined parishes. However, several of the ousted ministries’ volunteers are parishioners who assert that Fr. Tumino has violated the Gospel commandments to help the needy.

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AI-GENERATED ‘UGLY BEAUTIES’ ON DISPLAY IN D’TOWN BROOKLYN

DOWNTOWN — ‘UGLY BEAUTIES,’ AN AI-GENERATED ARTWORK by artist Curry J. Hackett featuring images of Black people immersed in so-called “weeds,” is on display at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Commissioned by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership with support from Two Trees Management Co. and Van Alen Institute, Ugly Beauties features a panoramic display of images that prompt viewers to consider society’s perception of beauty and belonging, and “captures the spirit of the neighborhood,” said DBP’s President Regina Myer.

“With residents, shoppers, workers, diners, and other visitors rushing around the neighborhood, we hope this piece will impart a moment of reflection and help Brooklynites to realize the beauty all around them,” Myer said. Ugly Beauties will be on view until May 2, 2024.

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WIND POWER CO. EQUINOR GETS OK TO CONNECT TO NYC POWER GRID IN BK

SUNSET PARK/GOWANUS — WIND POWER COMPANY EQUINOR has received permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to connect its offshore wind project to the New York City electric transmission system, the company announced Wednesday. FERC’s approval allows Empire Wind 1 to connect through the Sunset Park Onshore Substation at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and from there via a cable to the electrical grid at Con Edison’s Gowanus substation, delivering 810 megawatts of renewable power.

The 73-acre South Brooklyn Marine Terminal is set to transform into one of the nation’s largest dedicated port facilities for offshore wind in the U.S., according to Equinor. The facility will support the staging and assembly of offshore wind turbine components for Empire Wind.

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WATER SHUTOFFS SCHEDULED FOR PARTS OF CROWN HEIGHTS

CROWN HEIGHTS — TEMPORARY WATER SHUTDOWN ADVISORIES WERE POSTED IN PARTS OF CROWN HEIGHTS WITH LITTLE NOTICE, reports Brooklyn Community Board 9. District Manager Dante Arnwine sent a same-day dispatch to the neighborhood upon learning of a water service interruption scheduled for Wednesday morning, March 13 (today), from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for buildings on the south side of President Street between Kingston and Troy avenues; and buildings on both sides of the street on Albany Avenue between Eastern Parkway and President St. Water shutoffs on Thursday, March 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. affect buildings on the north side of President St. between Kingston and Albany avenues, and on Friday, March 15, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. in buildings on both sides of Kingston Ave. between President and Union streets, and on Monday, March 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in buildings on both sides of Albany Ave. between President and Crown streets.

The water shutdown is necessary to test the functionality of the existing water main valves, according to the NYC Department of Design and Construction’s posted advisories.

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BOEING MANAGER TURNED WHISTLEBLOWER
FOUND DEAD OF GUNSHOT WOUND DURING
HEARINGS ON COMPANY’S SAFETY ISSUES

CHARLESTON, SC — IN THE LATEST WOE FOR THE AVIATION GIANT BOEING, A LONGTIME QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER TURNED WHISTLEBLOWER was found dead in his truck over the weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was testifying on safety concerns, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. John Barnett, a 30-year Boeing employee who had worked at the North Charleston plant building the 787 Dreamliner, had told the BBC five years ago that assembly-line workers were under such pressure they short-shifted safety protocol by deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the production line. Barnett had also uncovered serious problems with the oxygen systems, potentially causing them to malfunction in an emergency. Although Boeing had denied Barnett’s assertions, a 2017 review by the Federal Aviation Administration upheld some of Mr. Barnett’s concerns and ordered Boeing to take corrective actions.

Authorities told the BBC that Barnett died of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.” On the day of his death, he had been scheduled for questioning in an ongoing legal dispute he had initiated. Investigators are working on the case.

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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, M.D., 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 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 colonoscopies, 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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FLEA MARKET WILL BENEFIT ST. DOMINIC’S OUTREACH PROGRAM

BENSONHURST — A FLEA MARKET TO SUPPORT 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 for 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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GOVERNOR’S ANTI-THEFT PLAN WOULD PROTECT RETAIL AND ONLINE BUSINESS OWNERS

STATEWIDE — SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, LEGISLATORS AND GOV. KATHY HOCHUL JOINED FORCES on Tuesday, March 12, to support a comprehensive statewide crackdown on organized retail theft. Governor Hochul has included in her FY25 Executive Budget proposal $25 million to underwrite a dedicated retail theft unit for 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. It would also establish a NYS Police Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit, among other provisions.

Among lawmakers taking part in the event was Brooklyn State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-23), whose district includes the north shore of Staten Island as well as Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay.

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

STATEWIDE — GOV. 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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BREAKING NEWS: NEW TASK FORCE SEIZES 73 VEHICLES IN ITS FIRST STING OPERATION

STATEWIDE — A NEW INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE LAUNCHED ON TUESDAY, MARCH 12, IS CRACKING DOWN ON “GHOST CARS” ON CITY STREETS, and as of March 12 had already seized 73 vehicles, Governor Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced jointly with other officials. 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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CITY, PORT AUTHORITY REACH AGREEMENT TO FUND NEW, MODERNIZED BUS TERMINAL

CITYWIDE — A NEW AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN NEW YORK 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, Gov. 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.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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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, U.S. 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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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 and fellow Brooklyn U.S. Reps. Dan Goldman and Nydia Velázquez, as well as U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, had urged Transportation Secretary 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.