What’s News, Breaking: Monday, March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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COUNCIL MULLS VERNIKOV PROTEST GUN ARREST SANCTIONS

MIDWOOD — THE CITY COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING TAKING DISCIPLINARY ACTION against southern Brooklyn Councilmember Inna Vernikov over an incident last fall in which the councilmember was arrested for carrying a gun at a Brooklyn College pro-Palestine rally, reports the Daily News, in violation of a new state law that makes bringing firearms to protests illegal. Although the charge was later thrown out due to the gun being inoperable, sources told the News that the Council’s ethics committee convened last Monday to discuss potentially leveling sanctions against Vernikov for violating internal rules against disorderly conduct; such sanctions, if approved by two-thirds of the Council, could include fines, a loss of committee positions and even expulsion.

Neither Vernikov nor the committee members offered comment on the specifics of the closed proceedings.

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARDS HONOR ‘SHEroes’
ACROSS WIDE RANGE OF INDUSTRIES

MIDWOOD/FLATBUSH — BROOKLYN’S SHEroes SHINED IN THE SPOTLIGHT DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, as eight women were honored for “making an indelible impact bettering our borough” at Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s hallmark Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony at Brooklyn College. The delegation of honorees included Audrey Walen, who won the Arts & Entertainment Award; Aasma Medhi, LMHC, receiving the Business & Entrepreneurship Award; Rona Taylor, (Community Engagement Award); Leonie Francis-Bryan, (Education Award); Nathalie Huang (Environmental Activism Award; Dr. Leslie Hayes (Health Award); Tonya Ores (Housing Award); and Rabbi Heidi Hoover, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mistress of Ceremony Ella Fredrick, a “lifelong community advocate and fearless leader of our youth,” introduced a slate of speakers that included NY Attorney General Letitia James, the first state-wide elected woman of color, and Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke — the first Jamaican American Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the daughter of Dr. Una Clarke, who was the first Caribbean elected to the New York City legislature.

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NY LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES
MUCH-ANTICIPATED PRESERVATION AWARDS

GOWANUS TO EAST NEW YORK — SEVERAL BROOKLYN SITES ARE WINNING THIS YEAR’S LUCY G. MOSES PRESERVATION AWARDS FROM THE NEW YORK LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY at an April 10 dinner at The Plaza. The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards, the Conservancy’s highest honors for excellence in preservation, showcase the recipients’ amazing and challenging preservation projects taking place throughout the City. The 2024 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards go to Powerhouse Arts at 322 Third Avenue in Gowanus, the 75th Police Precinct Station on 486 Liberty Avenue in East New York, the Ridges Residences in Stuyvesant Heights, and St. John the Baptist Church, 333 Hart St. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Moreover, Roberta Brandes Gratz, for decades a driving force in the conversation about New York’s buildings and neighborhoods, will receive the Preservation Leadership Award in honor of her work as an advocate, author, and urbanist.

Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church East Elevation Photo Zaskorski & Associates Architects

St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church.
Photo: Zaskorski & Associates Architects

75th Police Precinct Station.
Photo: New York Landmarks Conservancy

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NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL AVENUES BECOME PARTNERS SHOWCASING ART

A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS HAPPENED on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge on Saturday, March 16. Hosting the Third Annual “Embrace Winter Art Walk” was Victoria Hofmo of the Bay Ridge Arts and Cultural Alliance (BRACA), whose mission is to support and promote the cultural richness of Bay Ridge — in partnership with the Merchants of Third Avenue. Some striking and extraordinary art took a starring role. The interactive art walk spanned approximately one mile, beginning at Consentino’s Fish Market (6927 Third Avenue) — showing artwork from the Scandinavian East Coast Museum.

The “Embrace Winter Art Walk” also celebrated the work of local artists, with displays in several Bay Ridge shops. Hofmo and the other artists explained their handicrafts to curious onlookers. For full slideshow and PREMIUM CONTENT click here.

Andres Cobre’s Frank Sinatra-inspired mural titled “Old Blue Eyes” at Bay Ridge Art Walk — Andres Cobre’s Frank Sinatra-inspired mural titled “Old Blue Eyes.”
Brooklyn Eagle Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

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BROWNSVILLE DEVELOPMENT GETS $15.4M GRANT,
PROJECT WILL ALSO ADVANCE NY’S CLIMATE GOALS

BROWNSVILLE — A DEVELOPMENT IN BROWNSVILLE (CENTRAL BROOKLYN) WILL RECEIVE $15.4 MILLION as part of a $260 million award financed through tax credits and subsidies, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, March 18. The funding will create or preserve 1,852 affordable, supportive, and sustainable homes in 29 developments across New York State, including a development at 1546 East New York Avenue, near the junction with Eastern Parkway and Rockaway Avenue. The developer partnership, Xenolith Partners, LLC and Family Services Network of New York Inc. will build 95 apartments, including 57 with supportive services, and a healthcare facility. The project will receive $522,500 in CEI funds to pursue Passive House certification.

These projects are part of the governor’s overall plan to expand or protect the housing supply in every region, upgrade and modernize public housing, further local economic development initiatives, and include sustainable features that advance the State’s climate goals.

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EPA ENACTS COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON ASBESTOS

NATIONWIDE — THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HAS SET A COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON ASBESTOS, a carcinogen that is still found in many household products, the agency said on Monday, March 18, according to the Associated Press. This rule, which significantly expands the EPA’S regulation beyond a 2016 landmark law that amended oversight of thousands of toxic chemicals found in everyday products, from household cleaners to clothing and furniture, will now also ban chrysotile asbestos, the last remaining ongoing use of asbestos in the United States. Chrysotile asbestos is present in the manufacture of brake linings and gaskets, chlorine bleach and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda).

Although the EPA banned asbestos in 1989, a 1991 court decision weakened the agency’s ability to enforce it or address health risks. The 2016 law required the EPA to evaluate chemicals and establish protections against health and safety risks.

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RALLY ON 86TH ST. BRINGS IN THOUSANDS
TO PROTEST PROPOSED MEN’S SHELTER

GRAVESEND — THOUSANDS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS LEADERS TURNED OUT ON SATURDAY, MARCH 16, to protest the proposed homeless shelter at 2501 86th Street in Gravesend. Leading the rally were Assemblyman William Colton (D-47) who represents Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights, and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-43) whose district includes those neighborhoods plus Borough Park and Sunset Park. Protesters holding signs proclaiming, “Help the Homeless by Creating Jobs Not Building Shelters,” “Children’s Safety First! No Homeless Shelter,” and “Yes to Affordable Housing! No to Shelters!” overflowed the intersection of 86th Street and 25th Avenue before marching along 86th Street. The site’s developer, Tejpal Sandhu of 86th Street NY LLC, is identified as the same one who originally planned to build a shelter at 2147 Bath Avenue.

Assemblyman Colton alleges that the Sandhu Group makes a practice of building so-called hotels in unexpected locations and then leasing them to the city at a cost of thousands of dollars per resident per month, with taxpayers footing the bill.

Councilmember Susan Zhuang and Assemblyman William Colton joined some of the protesters for a photo before the rally began.
Photo courtesy Office of Assemblymember William Colton

Thousands of protesters overflowed into the intersection.
Photo courtesy Office of Assemblymember William Colton

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YOUNG BOERUM HILL WOMAN STABBED TO DEATH, TWIN SURVIVES

BOERUM HILL — POLICE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE 19-YEAR-OLD WOMAN STABBED to death in Boerum Hill early Sunday morning as Samyia Spain, a resident of Wyckoff Gardens. The victim and her twin sister were visiting an all-night deli at the corner of Fourth Avenue and St. Marks Place at about 2:20 a.m. when an unknown man attacked both women, stabbing Spain in the chest and her sister in the arm, according to police. EMS transported the victims to New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where Spain was pronounced deceased. Her sister survived and is in stable condition. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.

A witness told NBC that the man attacked the young women after they rejected his advances.

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BROOKLYN MAN DIES AFTER GETTING PUNCHED BY TOW TRUCK DRIVER

EAST FLATBUSH — A 61-YEAR-OLD MAN GOT INTO A DISPUTE with a tow truck operator who was about to tow away his vehicle, and it ended up costing him his life. Police said East Flatbush resident Carlyle Thomas began arguing with the 30-year-old tow truck driver at a Shell gas station at 1143 Clarkson Ave. around 10:45 p.m. Saturday night when it turned physical. Thomas was punched in the face by the younger man, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. EMS transported Thomas to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.

The tow truck driver was taken into custody and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

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WORKING TO LANDMARK D’TOWN BROOKLYN’S ‘SIGNIFICANT’ PLACES BEFORE THEY ARE LOST

DOWNTOWN — THE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN LANDMARKS COALITION has been named a 2024 “Six to Celebrate” winner by the Historic Districts Council for its efforts to landmark buildings and sites with significant architectural, cultural and social history in Downtown Brooklyn before they disappear. The coalition includes the Brooklyn Heights Association, Boerum Hill Association and Park Slope Civic Council, and has partnered with HDC. The Landmarks Preservation Commission has responded to its advocacy favorably, the Brooklyn Heights Association said in its newsletter on Sunday. Last month, LPC voted to calendar the Brooklyn Edison Building at 345 Adams Street, the first step in the agency’s designation process.

“We want to make sure these places aren’t lost as the neighborhood undergoes major redevelopment,” BHA wrote.

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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS SPRING EGG HUNT: MARCH 30

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL SPRING EGG HUNT for little bunnies is taking place at Pierrepont Playground on Saturday, March 30, starting at 11 a.m. sharp. (Notice the new start time.)

There will be candy-stuffed eggs, a bake sale and plenty of adorable photo ops.

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NEW DINER COMING TO MONTAGUE STREET

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A NEW DINER IS SET TO OPEN IN THE LOCATION OF THE former Happy Days Diner on Montague Street this month, reports Grub Street. Its new owners, a group of film industry professionals, have painstakingly refurbished the location to look like a Great Depression-era lunch counter, featuring retro-styled booths and light fixtures, period-accurate colors and materials, the shop’s original floors and vintage signage. The menu will shift from staples like eggs and pancakes in the daytime to more modern dinner options at night, with a menu curated by the team behind Fort Greene’s Margot restaurant.

The new management says they want to keep the vibes of the former neighborhood mainstay intact: “We have these old-timers poking their heads in the door, and each one is like, ‘You need to have a breakfast special,’” owner Gabriel Nussbaum told Grub Street, while co-owner Henry Joost added, “My dad lives around the corner. One of his main requests was, ‘You have to have a TV where I can watch a Giants game.’”

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PARK SLOPE’S 5TH AVENUE DECLARED ‘NYC’S COOLEST STREET”

PARK SLOPE — “NYC’S COOLEST STREET” IS PARK SLOPE’S 5th AVENUE, declares Time Out New York, which is lauding the business corridor for having some of the best shops and restaurants in the city!” The current (March 13) edition of Time Out describes the corridor as bordered by the Barclays Center to its north and the Prospect Expressway,” citing its “cool Revolutionary War history, myriad local restaurants, mom-and-pop shops and third spaces, from museums to board game lounges, make it the coolest in 2024.” Time Out New York also praised the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2024.

Fifth Avenue BID executive director, Joanna Tallantire, told Time Out New York, “We think it’s so cool because, quite simply, everything you need or want is here. Our avenue is packed full of mom and pop stores, restaurants and services and our mission as the BID is to provide a package of services to support them so they all can thrive.”

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ADAMS: NYC TO TEAM WITH LABOR UNIONS & PRIVATE EQUITY TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING

CITYWIDE — NYC, LABOR UNIONS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARE TEAMING UP to create affordable housing, Mayor Eric Adams and Gary LaBarbera, head of the Building and Trades Council, said in an interview on PIX11 Friday morning. LaBarbera said the unions were raising pension fund money that would go into an equity fund (the Cirrus Housing Workforce Housing Fund) and would partner with the city to build housing along the lines of a “Mitchell-Lama construct.” The fund has already raised the first hundred million dollars, he said. “We met with Mayor Adams … and we are now currently working with the city on looking at different parcels of land.”

No timeline has been set, Adams said, but, “We want to get it done as soon as possible right away.”

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DEVELOPER SELLS DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN ‘ZEBRA’ HOTEL THROUGH BANKRUPTCY

DOWNTOWN — THE OWNER OF A 22-STORY ZEBRA-STRIPED HOTEL in Downtown Brooklyn sold the unfinished project through bankruptcy, The Real Deal reported Thursday. Abraham Leifer’s Aview Equities sold the property at 291 Livingston St. for $34.9 million to St. Louis-based Midas Hospitality.

The project was almost complete when Leifer and development partner Eli Karp’s Hello Living defaulted on a pair of loans tied to the property, TRD said.

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BK DEM PARTY HEAD CALLS DESANTIS’ DEPICTION OF HAITIANS ‘REPUGNANT’

BOROUGH-WIDE — THE HAITIAN PLIGHT IS NOT ‘AN INVASION,’ said the head of Brooklyn’s Democratic Party, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Flatbush, Midwood) in a statement on Friday. Bichotte Hermelyn was responding to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “repugnant” statements that he would deploy the National Guard to prevent “the possibility of invasion” by Haitians, and his threat to deport Haitian migrants seeking aid. Instead, the world should unify to assist Haitians in overcoming the current crisis, and “safely and humanely allow migrants to seek refuge,” she said. Roughly 5.5 million Haitians are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and 1 million are on the brink of famine.

This week’s resignation of Haiti’s prime minister has plunged the nation into further chaos, creating an ‘untenable’ situation, she said.

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LAWMAKERS HOLD CONFERENCE TO SAVE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM

NATIONWIDE — MEMBERS OF NYC’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION are acting to protect and expand the Affordable Connectivity Program after the Federal Communications Commission formally notified Internet service providers that it will expire at the end of April. The FCC indicated that April is the final full month of the federally administered Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides a discount on monthly high-speed Internet service bills to qualifying low-income households, which will terminate unless Congress acts to renew it. Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-9) of Brooklyn and Grace Meng (D-6) of Queens will lead the press conference on Monday, March 18, held at City Hall Park, and announced late Friday afternoon that Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, will attend.

Also joining the lawmakers will be Georffrey Starks, Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission; Donna Lieberman, executive director of New York Civil Liberties Union; and Chris Lewis, president and CEO of Public Knowledge.

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DOT ANNOUNCES SINGLE-LANE CLOSURES ON GREENPOINT AVENUE BRIDGE

GREENPOINT — THE GREENPOINT AVENUE BRIDGE OVER NEWTOWN CREEK will be given nightly maintenance repairs from Thursday, March 21, to Friday, April 12, the NYCDOT announced on Friday, March 15, via Brooklyn Community Board 1. Single-lane closures will be necessary from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. either east-bound or west-bound, but not concurrently. The DOT emphasizes that two-way traffic will be maintained.

However, the bike lane will also be closed during the three-week construction period. A temporary bike lane will be provided for cyclists.

This poster from the NYCDOT shows where the single-lane closures on the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge will be made.
Photo: NYC Dept. of Transportation

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PARISH’S LITHUANIAN COMMUNITY MARKS INDEPENDENCE DAY — AND A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

WILLIAMSBURG — THE LITHUANIAN COMMUNITY OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL-ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PARISH ON MARCH 10 CELEBRATED THE 99th BIRTHDAY of parishioner Sofija Butkus during its commemoration of Lithuanian Independence Day. Pictured in the photo (left to right) are Parochial Vicar; Fr. Valdemar Lisovski; daughter Astra Butkus; Lithuanian Consul General, Vaclovas Salkauskas; Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio; Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, the pastor; Sofija Butkus and her husband Kazys, who as a centenarian is 105 years old.

Photo courtesy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-BVM Church

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ADAMS BLAMES MENTAL ILLNESS FOR BROOKLYN ‘A’ TRAIN SHOOTING

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLAMED MENTAL ILLNESS for the fight, stabbing and shooting on the A train in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday during an interview with Pat Kiernan on NY1 Friday morning. “When I looked at this tape and broke it down piece by piece and frame by frame, it is clear that it personifies what our pursuit is in Albany around those with severe mental health illnesses,” he told Kiernan. Adams added that many of the “random acts of violence” that have been taking place throughout the city could be attributed to mental illness. “It just unnerves New Yorkers.”

A 36-year-old man was shot in the head by his own gun after he started a violent altercation with another man on the A train as it approached the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop. See the Brooklyn Eagle for full coverage and updates.

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D.A.: NO CRIMINAL CHARGES WILL BE FILED AGAINST ‘A’ TRAIN SHOOTER

DOWNTOWN — SELF DEFENSE: THE BROOKLYN D.A. WILL NOT BE FILING CRIMINAL CHARGES against the unnamed 32-year-old man who shot his attacker on the A train in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday, according to Oren Yaniv, spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. The 32-year-old shot his attacker with the man’s own gun during a violent fight. “Yesterday’s shooting inside a crowded subway car was shocking and deeply upsetting. The investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing but, at this stage, evidence of self-defense precludes us from filing any criminal charges against the shooter,” Yaniv said in a release Friday afternoon.

The 36-year-old man was shot in the head after he started a violent altercation with the younger man as the A train approached the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop. Police are still looking for a woman involved in the incident. See the Brooklyn Eagle for full coverage and updates.