What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

March 20, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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RED HOOK INITIATIVE GETS $1M GRANT

RED HOOK — THE RED HOOK INITIATIVE ON WEDNESDAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS been selected from more than 6,000 applicants to receive a $1 million grant from Yield Giving to support its work with Red Hook youth. The Initiative partners with community members and leaders to offer work experiences, volunteer opportunities and internships to teens and young adults in the NYCHA Red Hook Houses in order to foster independence, resilience and workforce readiness; since 2014, the group “has reinvested over $1 million annually into the Red Hook community” through direct payments for these opportunities, helping to support the local economy, according to a press release.

RHI also distributes emergency aid to families in need, as well as assisting in community projects, such as the group’s response to COVID-19 and its coordination of volunteer efforts after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

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LIBRARY TO HOST EXHIBITION FROM INCARCERATED ARTIST

BED-STUY — THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S MACON LIBRARY WILL on Thursday host the opening of an art exhibition by incarcerated Brooklyn painter Corey Arthur in honor of Women’s History Month. The exhibition, titled “Save the Flower,” is a series of portraits dedicated to inspirational women in the artist’s life. Arthur has been in prison since 1997 after being controversially convicted at the age of 19 for the high-profile murder of Jonathan Levin, his former English teacher and the son of then-Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin; while Arthur maintains his innocence, he credits feminism for his resilience and growth while behind bars: “There are seven women in my life who healed me without breaking my bones and locking me in cages… These women achieved in a few years what our current prison system could not do in over the quarter century I’ve been a prisoner.”

The opening will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, at the Macon Library’s African American Heritage Center.

Artist Corey Arthur poses with two portraits from his upcoming exhibition, “Save the Flower.”

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COLLAPSE IN HOME DEPOT PARKING LOT

SUNSET PARK — A SMALL SECTION OF THE SUNSET PARK HOME DEPOT’S PARKING lot collapsed onto a lower floor of the building on Wednesday morning, reports CBS News. Photos of the scene show a roughly ten by two-foot hole in the garage’s floor surrounded by tire marks and fencing. No injuries were reported from the collapse into the store’s garden center, and the Department of Buildings was notified; the store says it is investigating the incident.

“We have engineers and general contractors onsite assessing the area and determining the next steps,” Home Depot stated.

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‘LICH’ BILL WOULD REQUIRE PUBLIC NOTICE IN HOSPITAL SHUTDOWNS

ALBANY — STATE SEN. GUSTAVO RIVERA (SD-33) and ASSEMBLYMEMBER JO ANNE SIMON (AD-52) with other state lawmakers on Wednesday announced the introduction of legislation that would require public notice and community engagement when a hospital seeks to either close entirely or close a unit that provides emergency, maternity, mental health or substance use care. The legislation would also strengthen state review of the proposed closings. The bill is called the Local Input in Community Healthcare Act (LICH Act) in response to the closing of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital, a 20-building complex in Simon’s district, which was sold to a developer amid years of protests and lawsuits.

“It’s outrageous that hospitals close with virtually no public notice, engagement, or state oversight,” Simon said in a statement. “The public ought to know before — not after — their local hospital is shuttered. When SUNY Downstate closed Long Island College Hospital in 2013, the health department didn’t notify or seek input from the communities that LICH had served for 156 years.”

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TRADE-SECRET PIRATE ARRESTED AND CHARGED;
VICTIM IS U.S.-BASED ELECTRIC VEHICLE FIRM

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — OWNERS OF A CHINA-BASED COMPANY HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO SEND TRADE SECRETS belonging to a leading U.S.-based electric vehicle company, according to a complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, March 19. The complaint charges Klaus Pflugbeil, a resident of the People’s Republic of China and Canadian national, and Yilong Shao, a Chinese national, with conspiring to send trade secrets that belonged to a leading U.S.-based electric vehicle company. Pflugbeil and Shao are operators of a PRC-based business that sold technology used for the manufacture of batteries, including those built into electric vehicles. The defendants built their business using Victim Company-1’s sensitive and proprietary information and even marketed their business as a replacement for Victim Company-1’s products.

Shao is still at large, but Pflugbeil was arrested Tuesday morning after he sent multiple Victim Company-1 trade secrets to — and was traveling to meet with — a prospective business contact who was actually a law enforcement undercover agent.

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STATE SENATOR MYRIE CALLS FOR STUDY TO EXPLORE
FEASIBILITY OF YEAR-ROUND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

FLATBUSH AND ALBANY — UNIVERSAL AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM MUST BE PRIORITIZED IN THIS YEAR’S STATE BUDGET, urged State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-20/central Brooklyn) who has introduced legislation directing the Office of Children and Family Services to conduct a study on the issue. Sen. Myrie on Wednesday, March 20, joined colleagues and advocates to urge that this year’s State Budget include a pathway toward universal afterschool programming. The Senate’s one-house budget resolution calls for the State to explore universal afterschool coverage. The bill (S-8836), now assigned to the State Senate’s Children and Families Committee, calls for this study to study the feasibility of providing the program year-round, factoring in costs of facility, transportation, labor, and security; and to examine the current structures in place for out-of-school programs and ways to more effectively resolve their cost burdens.

Myrie’s office has found that fewer than half of NYC public schools offer free, city-funded after school programs, and hundreds of thousands of students are on waiting lists for available slots; the alternative of childcare is unaffordable for many families.

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SUNY GETS $32M TO EXPAND WORKFORCE TRAINING
FOR PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL HAS MADE A $32 MILLION INVESTMENT TO STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK’s DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL MICROCREDENTIAL PROGRAM to help people with developmental disabilities obtain workforce training. The funding will allow SUNY to expand the program on campuses where it already exists and add programs at additional campuses to help grow the Direct Support Professional workforce in New York State and support New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. SUNY anticipates supporting up to 6,000 students by 2030 through this expansion.

SUNY is working in partnership with the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Thus far the programs have been available only at upstate SUNY schools, including Jamestown, Oneonta, and Orange County Community College.

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BROOKLYN ‘NIGHT IN THE LIBRARY’ DRAWS SCIENTISTS, ACTIVISTS, ARTISTS, THERAPY DOGS

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S CENTRAL BRANCH HOSTED its eighth annual Night in the Library over the weekend, keeping the doors open from 7 p.m. Saturday evening to 2 a.m. Sunday morning. A crowd of more than 4,000 packed the library to hear thinkers, scientists, writers, activists and artists in a marathon of performances, debates, music and talks, all addressing the theme, “Out of Darkness.” Filmmaker and political organizer Astra Taylor delivered the keynote, Brooklyn Roasting Company provided java, and therapy dogs from the Good Dog Foundation provided undiluted joy.

“It seemed nearly all of Brooklyn came through our doors for Night in the Library,” said László Jakab Orsós, BPL’s VP for Arts and Culture.

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MEDICAL EXAMINER RULES TODDLER
DIED FROM DROWNING AND BEATING

EAST FLATBUSH — THE AUTOPSY OF A THREE-YEAR-OLD-BOY WHO WAS KILLED ON SUNDAY REVEALED that he had been drowned and beaten, with the city Medical Examiner determining that blunt-force head injuries was a contributing factor, reports ABC Eyewitness News, Channel 7. First responders arriving at the child’s East Flatbush address of 770 New York Avenue on Sunday night, March 17, found him unconscious and unresponsive; they rushed him to NYC Health and Hospitals/Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Police have identified the victim as Denim Brown, age 3. Police on Monday, March 18, arrested 29-year-old Kevin James, also of 770 New York Avenue in East Flatbush (which was incorrectly identified in the ABC-7 report as being in Crown Heights).

The suspect is being charged with murder, assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child.

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CITY: DELINQUENT CUSTOMERS MUST MAKE PAYMENT PLANS WITHIN 2 WEEKS TO AVOID WATER SERVICE SHUTOFFS

CITYWIDE — NEW YORKERS WHO DID NOT AVAIL THEMSELVES OF A WATER BILL AMNESTY OR PAYMENT PLAN FOR DELINQUENT BILL PAYMENTS now face shutoffs, Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala announced on Wednesday, March 20. The city has initiated the next phase of its expanded collection enforcement actions against approximately 2,400 chronically delinquent water service accounts that owe the city a total of $102 million. As part of the effort, DEP will send out ‘Water Shutoff Notices’ to these customers, informing them that water service to their property could be shut off unless the entire owed amount is paid or they enter into a payment agreement within the next 15 days.

This enforcement action is targeted towards commercial properties, including hotels, office buildings, and retail spaces, as well as one-to-three-family homes that have not responded to any of DEP’s extensive outreach efforts over the past year.

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PUBLIC INVITED TO COMMENT ON GOWANUS CANAL DAMAGE & RESTORATION PLAN

GOWANUS — THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO COMMENT ON A FEDERAL PLAN to assess the historic damage caused to the Gowanus Canal’s natural resources by hazardous industrial substances and oil, identify restoration opportunities, and seek compensation from those responsible for the damage. Designated a Superfund Site, the canal’s notoriously polluted water, shoreline, recreation and biota — including fish, birds and water-dependent mammals — will be included in the assessment.

The canal’s federal trustees, which include DEC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA, said on Wednesday that the public can read the Draft Assessment Plan for Gowanus Canal online or at Brooklyn Public Library’s Park Slope branch at 431 6th Ave., and will accept comments at [email protected] through April 15, 2024.

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GOLDMAN LEADS EFFORT TO ENSURE ACCESS TO MEDICAL ABORTION DRUG

STATEWIDE — A WEEK BEFORE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IS SET TO HEAR ARGUMENTS ON RESTRICTING ACCESS TO THE ABORTION MEDICATION mifepristone via telemedicine, Rep. Daniel Goldman (NY -10) on Monday convened a roundtable with New York state and city officials and women’s health advocates to strategize. The decision in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine will impact health care for millions of women, both in New York and nationwide, Goldman said. “The FDA’s medical and scientific experts approved mifepristone, and they should decide what medications are available to women, not politicians or the courts,” said Kirsten Moore, Director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access Project.

During the roundtable, officials also announced that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s team had signed an order to ensure that pharmacists are able to dispense self-administered hormonal birth control without a prescription.

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‘PORTABLE’ FRENCH BULLDOGS MOST POPULAR BREED IN AMERICA

NATIONWIDE — FRENCH BULLDOGS, LONG POPULAR IN NYC, are also top dogs nationwide, according to American Kennel Club’s 2023 registration statistics. AKC called Frenchies playful, adaptable, even-tempered — and important for city dwellers, portable. The breed, with its squashed mug and large “bat ears,” made number one for the second year in a row, even beating out the lovable Labrador Retriever, which came in second. “The French Bulldog’s surge in popularity shows no signs of slowing down,” said AKC Executive Secretary Gina DiNardo. But that doesn’t mean they’re for everyone … It’s extremely important to do your research.”

Good to know: The breed tends to have airway problems, which can lead to snorting, “reverse sneezing” and other breathing issues.

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CITY COUNCIL DECLARES HOUSING EMERGENCY, EXTENDS RENT STABILIZATION LAW

CITYWIDE — THE CITY COUNCIL ON TUESDAY VOTED to declare an ongoing housing emergency and extended the Rent Stabilization Law for three years. The law was originally scheduled to expire on April 1, 2024. The new expiration date is April 1, 2027. To qualify as an emergency, the vacancy rate must be less than 5% of the City’s rental housing stock

Findings from the 2023 Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS) show a citywide rental vacancy rate of 1.41%, the lowest this measurement has been since 1968, and a significant decline from 2021, when the net vacancy rate was 4.54%, the Council said in a release.

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BROOKLYN’S ICONIC LUNA PARK SET TO OPEN 97th SEASON

CONEY ISLAND — EGG CREAMS ARE A BROOKLYN TRADITION, AS IS THE BELOVED EGG CREAM CHRISTENING CEREMONY that opens each new season at Luna Park. While the park’s official seasonal reopening day is Saturday, March 23, ceremonies and festivities take place on Palm Sunday, March 24, starting at 10:45 a.m. with its annual egg cream christening of the Coney Island Cyclone Rollercoaster. Moreover, the legendary Cyclone Rollercoaster turns 97 this year, so the first 97 guests to board the Cyclone will enjoy a free ride and an egg cream treat, the classic Coney Island dessert, courtesy of Luna Park and Brooklyn Seltzer Boys.

This season, Luna Park will welcome NYC’s first sustainable electric-powered go-karts, Electric Eden Raceway. Luna Park will also be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of one of its most famous thrills, The Thunderbolt, which is New York City’s first-ever major steel roller coaster.

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SPECIFIC LOT NUMBERS OF TRADER JOE’S CASHEWS RECALLED FOR POSSIBLE ILLNESS RISK

NATIONWIDE — CONSUMERS WHO MAY HAVE PURCHASED TRADER JOE’S BRAND CASHEWS WHILE TRAVELING TO A NUMBER OF WESTERN U.S. STATES should avoid eating these, due to possible salmonella contamination, warns the Food & Drug Administration, which on Monday, March 18, announced a recall. Wenders LLC of Dublin, CA, is recalling specific production lots of Trader Joe’s Nuts — 50% Less Sodium Roasted & Salted Whole Cashews — (SKU Number – 37884) Lot# T12139, T12140, T12141, and T12142 for this reason. The product was sold at Trader Joe’s stores in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, as well as Idaho, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington state.

Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

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CALLING VISION INSURANCE MIDDLEMEN ‘HARMFUL.’ REP. CLARKE CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

CAPITOL HILL — UTILIZING “MIDDLEMEN” AND VERTICAL INTEGRATION IN HEALTH CARE, PARTICULARLY IN THE VISION (OPTOMETRY) INSURANCE INDUSTRY, is harming Americans, charges Brooklyn Congressmember Yvette D. Clarke (D-9). Rep. Clarke led 16 of her colleagues in a letter to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-08) — also part of the Brooklyn Congressional delegation — urging him to include the problems of Vision Benefit Manager (VBM) abuse. The letter, excerpted here, reads: “We ask for your support in advancing policies to address the negative impacts of consolidation and vertical integration in the vision insurance industry, which continue to harm American families, particularly those within traditionally underserved communities… While vision insurance is typically offered for a low premium, once consumers utilize that benefit, they’re faced with a system rigged by their vision benefit manager to limit choice, control behavior and maximize profit at every step of the process.”

American Optometric Association president Ronald L. Benner, O.D., praised Rep. Clarke for holding the vision insurance companies accountable.

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FLATBUSH PARISH, WITH ITS PASTOR STUCK IN HAITI, PRAYS FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO CRISIS THERE

FLATBUSH — HOLY INNOCENTS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, IN A BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A MAJOR HAITIAN POPULATION, on Monday hosted a Mass for Peace in Haiti, with Brooklyn Diocesan Bishop Robert Brennan presiding. Joining Bishop Brennan were the diocese’s Haitian priests and congregants, who offered Mass for a peaceful resolution to the current political crisis and for their loved ones facing humanitarian emergencies in that nation. The violence in Haiti hits close to Holy Innocents’ parish, as its pastor, Father Lucon Rigaud, got stuck there while visiting for his father’s funeral, the Tablet reported on Tuesday. Bishop Brennan assured the parish that Fr. Rigaud and his family are safe and doing his pastoral work via Zoom and other streaming media.

The bishop and congregation prayed also for Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-a-Veau-Miragoâne, who is convalescing Stateside at a Miami hospital from injuries and severe burns sustained in an explosion last month in Port-au-Prince.

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NEW LEGISLATION WOULD BRING SS BENEFITS MORE IN LINE WITH MEDICAL COSTS

CAPITOL HILL — LEGISLATION THAT U.S. SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND OF NEW YORK IS INTRODUCING WOULD INCREASE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FOR SENIORS, helping to ensure that the social safety net keeps pace with the rising cost of health care. During a virtual press conference that she is holding on Wednesday morning, March 20, Sen. Gillibrand will point out that while Social Security benefits are adjusted annually for inflation, the benefit increases do not adequately account for increased premium, copay and prescription costs.

Gillibrand’s legislation would correct this issue with the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) calculation, resulting in higher benefits that better reflect older adults’ true cost of living.

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‘CONGRESS OF CURIOUS PEOPLES’ SHOWCASES CONEY ISLAND’S ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY

CONEY ISLAND — A “CONGRESS OF CURIOUS PEOPLES” DURING THE LAST WEEKEND OF MARCH WILL CELEBRATE UNUSUAL PERFORMERS IN THE CIRCUS performance and sideshow arts at one of the world’s most iconic entertainment spots. Coney Island USA, Southern Brooklyn’s not-for-profit arts organization, will open its doors for performances and lectures for this year’s Congress of Curious Peoples. This long-standing tradition continues with this gathering of unique individuals at Sideshows by the Seashore and the Coney Island Museum. It celebrates Coney Island’s seminal place in American popular culture and explores its artistic and spectacular possibilities through performances and discussions. The Sideshow Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at the Sideshow by the Seashore Theater, with a $20 admission fee for each of the events to benefit the organization. Weekend passes and other tickets are available via coneyisland.com https://www.coneyisland.com/?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_email_id=65f9ddff06b39b45b3744ad5

One of the lectures will focus on the connections between true crime and wax museums in Coney Island on film.

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GOLDMAN INTRODUCES ABORTION DOCTOR PROTECTION BILL

NATIONWIDE — U.S. REP DAN GOLDMAN ON TUESDAY JOINED DEMOCRAT HOUSE COLLEAGUES in introducing the “Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act,” which would offer increased protection to health care providers. Goldman stated that the act is in response to red-state efforts to expand enforcement of state-level prohibitions beyond state borders. The act would block states from passing laws that target doctors in other states where abortion is legal or who make those doctors liable for providing services to patients from any other state, potentially protecting New York health care providers who offer these services to visitors from out-of-state. Providers would be empowered to take civil action against states and officials who violate the act.

The bill also includes a prohibition on the use of federal funds to pursue cases against abortion recipients or providers, as well as provisions that would fund grants for legal assistance and security upgrades for doctors, and that would prevent the denial of insurance coverage to providers.

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‘MOVE OVER’ LAW EXPANDS TO ALL STOPPED VEHICLES

STATEWIDE — GOVERNOR HOCHUL ON TUESDAY REMINDED DRIVERS of the upcoming expansion to New York’s “Move Over” law, which was signed into law last year: starting March 27, drivers will be required to change lanes and slow down when approaching any vehicles stopped along the side of a road. The “Move Over” law was first implemented in 2010 to prevent collisions with emergency vehicles, and has been expanded previously to cover hazard vehicles, highway worker vehicles and tow trucks; under the law, drivers approaching a stopped vehicle should change into a lane not immediately adjacent to the vehicle, or slow down to a “reasonable speed” if unable to safely make a lane change.

According to the Governor’s Office, nearly 300 drivers are struck and killed roadside nationally every year; despite “Move Over” laws existing in all 50 states, more than a third of Americans are unaware of these laws.

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POLICE SHOOT GUNMAN IN EAST FLATBUSH

FLATBUSH — NYPD OFFICERS SHOT AND KILLED A MAN CHASING A COUPLE WITH A GUN down a Bed-Stuy street on Monday evening, reports Patch; later identified as Nathan Scott, age 20, the shooter was taken to the hospital but was unable to be saved. Police officers responding to multiple 911 calls complaining of gunshots had been patrolling the area before encountering Scott shooting at a man and woman fleeing down East 57th Street; investigators believe that the man, Jeremy Adams, may have been attempting to rob Scott prior to the chase and booked him on an unrelated robbery charge from earlier this month, reports the Daily News.

A 60-year-old bystander was also wounded in the shootout, in which shots were exchanged between Scott and police officers, damaging the patrol car as well; police believe the bystander was shot by police but are waiting on ballistics reports.