What’s News, Breaking: Friday, April 5, 2024

April 5, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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PIMP WHO TORTURED, MURDERED WOMEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN BROOKLYN COURT

DOWNTOWN — A MAN WHO TORTURED, RAPED, DISFIGURED AND MURDERED HIS VICTIMS while forcing them into prostitution was sentenced to ten terms of life imprisonment, to run concurrently, in federal court in Downtown Brooklyn on Friday. Somorie Moses, aka “Sugar Bear,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon. Moses threatened to throw one victim off a roof, raped her, bit off a piece of her buttocks and spit it at her. He slashed another victim’s arms and back with a razor and beat her with a belt before pouring lemon juice on her wounds, leaving her with extensive scarring. He murdered and dismembered another victim, Leondra Foster.

“The life sentence imposed today on Somorie Moses is significant because it reflects the brutality and utter depravity of his crimes against vulnerable women and girls, which were committed over nearly two decades,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

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BILL WOULD HELP HOMEOWNERS TRYING
TO CHALLENGE HIGH WATER USAGE FEES

CITYWIDE — NEW YORK CITY HOMEOWNERS WHO WANT TO CHALLENGE the amounts they are being billed for water usage and sewer fees may soon have some relief, thanks to legislation sponsored by Assemblyman William Colton (D-47/Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights). The legislation (A1374), which is currently being reviewed by a New York State Assembly committee, would extend the amount of time a homeowner has to file a challenge to a sewer or water bill from four to a minimum of six years. The challenge period would commence on the bill date. The Senate version of the bill, indexed as S5603, passed the Senate in 2023.

One issue that has come into play is the shift from billing based on the frontage of a property to billing based on meter readings, explained Assemblyman Colton. Moreover, confusion exists around the Water Board’s leak forgiveness policy. Homeowners hit with high bills caused by a leak may have recourse to deal with the increased cost.

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NEW CONNECTALL PLAN AIMS TO WIDEN
DIGITAL ACCESS AND LITERACY

STATEWIDE — A NEW PLAN UNVEILS $50 MILLION CONNECTALL DIGITAL EQUITY PLAN that Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday, April 5, aims to close New York’s digital divide. The plan outlines New York’s statewide strategy to increase its capacity to improve digital literacy and digital job readiness skills, facilitate access to affordable internet and devices, enhance digital privacy and safety, and make government services more accessible through the internet. The plan establishes a vision and comprehensive framework to guide the state’s digital equity strategy and will anchor all of ConnectALL’s programs, including building digital skills and literacies, enhancing privacy and safety, increasing access to devices, and improving the accessibility of government services for New Yorkers.

The Plan also includes regional snapshots and a searchable statewide inventory of nearly 1,000 programs and organizations working to address the barriers to broadband adoption.

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TWO COLLEGES IN BROOKLYN GET GRANTS
FOR EDUCATION WORKFORCE TRAINING

FLATBUSH AND CROWN HEIGHTS — TWO CUNY-SYSTEM COLLEGES IN BROOKLYN HAVE BEEN AWARDED grants as part of $13.7 million to support education workforce training programs at colleges and universities in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday. The programs expand or develop new education workforce programs across the State University of NY and City University of NY campuses, and at independent colleges and universities, as part of the Education Workforce Investment. Through the Alternative Teacher Certification Program and the Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program, New York State will expand opportunities for students interested in becoming educators. Brooklyn College received one of the eight grants totaling $9.5 million awarded under the Alternative Teacher Certification Program. CUNY’s Medgar Evers College was awarded one of four grants that total $4.2 million under the Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program.

The Alternative Teacher Certification Program is a pathway geared to reduce time and cost barriers for prospective teachers. The Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program is for teaching assistants and paraprofessionals who are already an essential part of the teacher pipeline given their prior classroom experience and strong connections to their communities.

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FUNDING WILL UNDERWRITE TECH ASSISTANCE
ON PROJECTS TO UPGRADE NY’S ELECTRIC GRID

ALBANY — TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDING TOTALING $3.5 MILLION is being made available to support the development of electric grid modernization project proposals through New York State’s Grid Modernization Program, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday morning, April 5 (before the earthquake erupted). This funding will support interested municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives in developing proposals that advance the reliability of grid infrastructure and access to affordable clean energy. This announcement also represents the pre-development step to help municipal electric utilities and rural cooperatives plan for an upcoming $24 million funding opportunity (available this summer) made possible through a U.S. Department of Energy award to New York State last fall. This funding will be administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) over two years through a competitive solicitation process to select grid modernization projects.

NYSERDA will host an informational webinar on April 12 from 2-3 p.m. for those interested in learning more about the technical assistance funding opportunity.

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BROOKLYN FOOTBALL CLUB EXPANDS WITH MEN’S AND WOMEN’S PRO-USL TEAMS & ACADEMY

BOROUGHWIDE — THE BROOKLYN FOOTBALL CLUB’s recently appointed president and CEO Maximilian Mansfield is helping the new United Soccer League expansion franchise get up and running with both men’s and women’s pro teams, he told Hudson River Blue in a wide-ranging interview published Thursday. Top players of any background and socioeconomic status are welcome at BKFC with no cost to join. Mansfield also started the nonprofit soccer feeder Two Bridges Academy, which includes academic preparation and leadership development, because pay-to-play soccer “holds back a lot of talent,” he said.

The men’s BKFC’s women’s club joined the Division One USL Super League, putting it at the top of the U.S. women’s soccer pyramid, Hudson River Blue reported in March. The professional women’s team will begin playing in August 2024. The professional men’s team will begin playing in 2025 in the USL Championship.

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NYC STRIKES DEAL REGARDING FOSSIL FUELS WITH MAJOR BANKS

CITYWIDE — THREE OF THE BIGGEST BANKS IN NORTH AMERICA have reached an agreement with NYC pension funds to publicly disclose their Clean Energy Ratios, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Clean Energy Ratio is a calculation of how much a bank is funding fossil fuels versus clean, green energy. Royal Bank of Canada joined JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup in the agreement. “This is a huge deal, not only because this sets a new standard of transparency for the banking sector — but because these agreements were reached after my office’s work on behalf of NYC pension funds,” Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement Thursday.

Lander called on Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley to follow the lead of the other banks.

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AMBIGUOUS, OMINOUS SCULPTURES BY HUMA BHABHA COMING TO BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK — FOUR LARGE-SCALE BRONZE SCULPTURES by Huma Bhabha, described as “ambiguous” and “ominous,” are opening in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Pier 3 on April 20 at 6 p.m. “Huma Bhabha: Before The End” probes “the intersections of art, science fiction, horror, and mythology,” Public Art Fund said Thursday in a statement. The sculptures were cast from carved cork and skull fragments and “recall ancient effigies” cut into tombstones. “Before The End” is a title borrowed from the writings of Vincent of Beauvais (c. 1184 – 1264), “whose Medieval imagination sparked with supernatural and apocalyptic visions.”

To attend the opening, register for free at publicartfund.org.

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BROOKLYN’S PROSPECT DOG PARK VOTED TOP ‘HIDDEN GEM’ FOR DOGS IN U.S.

PROSPECT PARK — A SURVEY OF 3,000 DOG LOVERS across the country ranked Prospect Dog Park in Brooklyn the top “hidden gem” for dogs in the U.S. “At Prospect Dog Park … canines can frolic in the sand and doggy paddle to their heart’s content at Dog Beach. It’s a slice of doggy paradise,” according to Technobark, a dog-gadget website, which carried out the survey. Only one other New York City dog park made the list of the top 120 hidden gems: Riverside Park Dog Run in Manhattan, which came in at number 43.

“The best treasures are often found off the beaten path, so we hope our study helps dog owners to sniff out new adventures and create unforgettable memories with their furry friends,” wrote Technobark’s Gary Nealon.

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BROOKLYN COLLEGE ESTABLISHES TEACHING CHAIR HONORING PULITZER-WINNING PROFESSOR

FLATBUSH/MIDWOOD — BROOKLYN COLLEGE WELCOMED PULITZER PRIZE-WINNER and Kennedy Center honoree, conductor, and Distinguished Professor Emerita Tania León for the school’s third Presidential Lecture Series event. The discussion with León, titled “You Gave Me Wings: A Rhythmic Life,” featured a conversation with President Michelle J. Anderson chronicling León’s extraordinary life from her migration from Cuba to her career as a world-renowned composer. The lecture was also the occasion on which Brooklyn College and its School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts announced the launch of the Tania León Chair of Music, which has received funding from The Tow Foundation, established by alumnus Leonard Tow ’50. Professor Emerita Tania León began teaching here 1985, became a Tow Distinguished Professor in 2000, and retired as Professor Emerita in 2019.

Ms. León and President Anderson discussed León’s orchestral work “Stride,” which the New York Philharmonic commissioned and that was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Leon was named a recipient of the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements.

(From left) Associate Professor Malcolm J. Merriweather, Pulitzer Prize-winner and Kennedy Center honoree, conductor, and educator Tania León, Leonard Tow ‘50, and Brooklyn College President Michelle J. Anderson at the Presidential Lecture Series event March 28 at the college.
Photo courtesy Brooklyn College

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BIDEN, TRUMP CRUISE TO VICTORY IN LOW-TURNOUT PRIMARIES

STATEWIDE — PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP easily won their respective primaries in New York on Tuesday night, reports Crain’s New York Business. As no major competitors remain in the race in either party, voters evidently saw little reason to turn up to the polls, with under 500,000 votes counted in both races statewide. While pro-Palestinian activists organized a campaign encouraging voters to leave ballots blank as an indicator of disagreement with Biden’s Gaza policy, New York does not release blank ballot counts on election night, meaning that the success of the campaign will not be clear until the release of the formal vote certification several weeks from now.

Trump received 81% of the total Republican primary vote, according to the state’s unofficial count, trailed by Nikki Haley, who has dropped out of the race, at 12%, while Biden received 91% of the total Democratic primary vote.

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BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY HOSTS ECLIPSE PARTIES ACROSS BOROUGH

BROOKLYN — THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY IS HOSTING SUNWATCHING PARTIES at locations across the borough during Monday’s solar eclipse, offering kids and families limited supplies of eclipse blackout glasses to safely watch the moon obscure 90% of the sun. The deeply tinted glasses are necessary to view the sun without risking eye damage, even with most of it blocked. Library branches in most neighborhoods will be hosting local viewing parties and offering themed activities for kids, as well as handing out glasses throughout the weekend and on Monday. The Central Library at Grand Army Plaza will host a live concert in honor of Grammy-winning musician Casey Benjamin.

Information on which branches are hosting eclipse events can be found online on the BPL’s website; the eclipse will peak at 3:25 p.m. but will be visible throughout the afternoon.

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ECLIPSE EXCITEMENT IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN — ALONG WITH THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S BRANCH EVENTS, Brooklynites have several other options for viewing Monday’s solar eclipse, which will obscure up to 90% of the sun at 3:25 p.m. NYU Tandon is hosting a viewing party at the Brooklyn Commons (formerly MetroTech) in Downtown Brooklyn from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. offering free sunglasses, while staff at Marsha P. Johnson State Park in Williamsburg will be educating visitors about the sun and offering protective glasses while supplies last from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sungazers can also catch a ferry to Governors Island all day to pick up a pair of eclipse glasses and watch from one of the park’s hilltop viewing spots.

Brooklyn Bridge Parents offers a helpful roundup of kid-friendly eclipse opportunities, including highlights from the library’s offerings.

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WILLIAMS ARRESTED DURING REBNY CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

MIDTOWN — PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE WILLIAMS AND SEVERAL TENANT activists were arrested on Thursday during a rally outside the Midtown Manhattan offices of the Real Estate Board of New York, blocking its doors in protest of what Williams described as the board’s efforts to block tenant protections, such as the proposed “good cause” evictions law. Lawmakers in Albany are currently struggling to reach a budget deal, with tenant protections being a major point of contention between progressives and Republicans, as well as more conservative Democrats. REBNY has been a longtime opponent of efforts to expand tenant rights, which it says come at the expense of property owners.

“We are blocking the entrance to REBNY just as they have blocked real tenant protections from being enacted in Albany… Today, we were arrested to protest REBNY’s active campaign to harm tenants statewide, to urge state lawmakers to reject big real estate’s influence, and to finally pass the protections New Yorkers desperately need,” Williams wrote in a statement.

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BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK CONSERVANCY ELECTS TWO NEW DIRECTORS

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK — BROOKLYN RESIDENTS JENNIFER HYMAN AND SEJAL MUKHERJEE have been elected to Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s Board of Directors, the organization announced Wednesday. Hyman is the cofounder and CEO of Rent the Runway, the company that transformed fashion rental with the world’s first and largest shared online designer closet. Attorney Mukherjee is the General Counsel of Bel Fuse Inc., global designer and manufacturer of sophisticated electronic components for an array of industries, including avionics and automation.

“Jenn and Sejal are both fantastic additions to our board, and we’re excited to welcome them to the team,” Chris Coffey, Conservancy Board Chairman, said in a statement. The Conservancy sponsors more than 500 free and low-cost educational, cultural, fitness and recreational programs each year.