What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, April 9, 2024

April 9, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GOVERNOR MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF SUBWAY
STATION AGENTS’ ENHANCED ROLE

CITYWIDE — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ON TUESDAY, APRIL 9, CELEBRATED ONE YEAR SINCE MTA STATION AGENTS BEGAN THEIR ENHANCED ROLE of stepping out of booths and assisting riders with core customer service functions throughout the station. The station agents have provided commuters with wayfinding information, assisted at fare machines and informed those new to the system about contactless fare payment. As part of the enhanced customer service initiative, NYC Transit more efficiently deployed station agents throughout the system, delivering $10 million in annual savings while improving customer service and increasing hourly pay. In just the past year, NYC Transit presented 208 commendations to station agents receiving positive customer feedback between March 2023 and February 2024.

Over the next few weeks, NYC Transit will gradually introduce additional services to the 15 Customer Service Centers in the subway system.

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‘YOUNG SHELDON’ ACTOR TO HOST FAMILY FUN DAY

BROWNSVILLE — ACTOR DOC FARROW, OF TV’S “YOUNG SHELDON,” IS SET TO host a children’s storytime this weekend at the Greg Jackson Center for Brownsville, focused around the storybook “Jabari Jumps” and on Farrow’s journey from military service to Hollywood. The event, held by United for Brownsville, will end with a Q&A session, as well as an interactive art project for children to add their vision boards to a community art installation on display at the Jackson Center; families can also stay for a free lunch catered by Loma Restaurant, and pick up free family passes to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

The event will run from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, at the Greg Jackson Center; lunch will be served at 3 p.m.

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ROBIN HOOD ANNOUNCES NONPROFIT WINNERS OF $3 MILLION GRANT

CITYWIDE — PHILANTHROPIC FUND ROBIN HOOD ON TUESDAY ANNOUNCED the three winners of its FUEL for 50 initiative, awarding three New York-based charity groups nearly $1 million each for innovative projects designed to advance early childhood learning. The winners include FamilyCook Productions, a team of nutrition educators who visit schools and other facilities with their Willow the Bunny puppet to teach kids about healthy eating; Chances for Children, which offers parent-child therapy from infancy through age 5; and Forestdale, which provides holistic support programs aimed at healing intergenerational trauma. The winners were selected from an initial cohort of 50 community programs that participated in the three-year initiative, during which they were offered organizational support and tiered funding.

Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery, a former Deputy Mayor who first encountered the group as the founder of Brooklyn’s Groundwork public housing support network, wrote in a statement, “By supporting parents and caregivers, we are reaching beyond traditional child care centers, enabling us to move nimbly, elevate what works, and build a New York City where every space a child inhabits provides an opportunity to learn and thrive.”

Willow the Bunny teaches kids about nutrition at FamilyCook Productions’ “Nibble with Willow” interactive classes. Photo courtesy of FamilyCook.

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MAN SHOT AND ROBBED AT BAR ON FIFTH AVENUE IN PARK SLOPE

PARK SLOPE — A MAN WAS SHOT AND ROBBED AT A BAR on 5th Avenue just blocks from the Park Slope Food Co-op, in the early morning hours of Monday, April 8, police reported. Just before 3 a.m., the 30-year-old victim was inside the establishment at 243 5th Ave. when two unknown men approached him and shot him in the left leg. A video shows the suspects rifled his body as he lay on the floor, forcibly taking a gold chain valued at $2,400 and $1,400 in U.S. currency before fleeing. EMS transported the victim to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in stable condition.

The suspects are described as having a slim build, medium complexion, and are approximately 21–30 years old. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit Crime Stoppers online.

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BROOKLYN’S GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY LAUNCHES HISTORY FELLOWSHIP

GREENWOOD HEIGHTS — BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY will be awarding one early-career academic “unparalleled access” to the cemetery’s archives to conduct in-depth research and present their findings, the landmark cemetery said Tuesday. With a legacy spanning over 185 years, 580,000 individuals interred and memorialized across its grounds, and an archive of records, this represents a vast, untapped resource for historical investigation, Green-Wood said.

The selected researcher will be awarded a $5,000 honorarium and access to the cemetery’s primary source assets — tens of thousands of gravestones and mausoleums and millions of archival documents dating back nearly two centuries, plus have access to the organization’s professional staff.

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POETRY COMES TO NYC PARKS FOR NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

CITYWIDE — NYC PARKS AND THE POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA unveiled on Tuesday five new installations bringing poetry to New York’s public parks, just in time for National Poetry Month. The site-specific works fit in with the surrounding landscape and park infrastructure and reflect on a variety of themes, Parks said. In Brooklyn’s 100% Playground in Canarsie, the poem “Slam, Dunk, & Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa is the featured installation. “With these beautiful, thought-provoking poetry installations, we’re enriching five parks throughout the city and helping New Yorkers engage with their favorite public spaces in new ways,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in a release.

Komunyakaa’s poem begins:

‘Fast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury’s

Insignia on our sneakers,

We outmaneuvered the footwork

Of bad angels …’

Poem at 100% Playground in Brooklyn.
Photo: NYC Parks

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‘STOP THE CHOP’ HELICOPTER BILL HEARING APRIL 16

CITYWIDE — FED-UP RESIDENTS ARE ASKED TO TESTIFY AT A HEARING on legislation to end nonessential NYC helicopter flights and their noisy disruption, to be held at the City Council on April 16. “These tourism helicopter flights and jaunts to JFK or the Hamptons create needless pollution and have significant quality of life impacts on our neighborhoods,” said bill sponsor Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights). A majority of Council members have supported the bill, Restler added, “and we are continuing to push for its adoption into law.”

The hearing takes place at 10 a.m., April 16 at 250 Broadway in Manhattan, 16th floor. Sign up to testify online or in person, or submit written testimony online.

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DUMBO’S BIG ART WEEKEND: 155 OPEN STUDIOS AND GALLERY EVENTS

DUMBO — MORE THAN 150 ARTISTS WILL OPEN THEIR STUDIOS to the public for the DUMBO Open Studios event on April 13 and 14, from 1 – 6 p.m. The weekend will showcase artists and arts organizations, including artists in residence at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Triangle Arts, the New York Studio School, BRIClab, and Smack Mellon, as well as interactive guides and gallery exhibitions.

Guides to off-the-beaten-path artist studios, like those next door to DUMBO in Vinegar Hill, can be found online.

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GILLIBRAND DELIVERS $15M FED GRANT FOR NEW GRAND ST. BRIDGE IN BROOKLYN

WILLIAMSBURG — U.S. SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY $15M in federal funds to replace the 121-year-old Grand Street Bridge over Newtown Creek in Williamsburg. The swing-type bridge, which is the main connection between Brooklyn and Queens and carries more than 10,000 vehicles a day, was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The new structure will have elevated electrical and mechanical equipment, making it resilient against a future rise in sea level and storm surges. It will also feature standard-width lanes, separated cycling infrastructure and wider walking paths. The new bridge will be funded through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law.

“This new bridge will get our workers to their jobs, get our kids to school, and help the New York economy remain the strongest it can be,” Gillibrand said in a release.

Grand Street Bridge.
Photo: Copyright Google Maps

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MTA BUYS EARLY MOTOR CAR SERVICE BUILDING IN BKLYN FOR $25.3M

CROWN HEIGHTS — MTA HAS PURCHASED A REPAIR SHOP in Crown Heights that dates back to 1926 along what was known at the time as Brooklyn’s “Automobile Row,” the Commercial Observer reports. The agency has leased the building for a quarter century and decided to keep it. MTA paid President Maintenance, associated with Joseph Taormina, $25.3 million for the 57,000-square-foot property at 1590 Bedford Ave., across from the Bedford Armory, Commercial Observer said.

Original owner Guy Simons, a Chrysler motor car dealer, took out a full-page ad in the Brooklyn Eagle on Sunday, Sept. 12, 1926, to announce the building’s grand opening, Brownstoner reports.

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IT’S PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING VOTE WEEK — FUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

BOROUGHWIDE — MANY BROOKLYNITES CAN VOTE THIS WEEK on how to spend a million dollars or more in capital funds in their own Council districts. Twenty-four districts are participating this year, with eight in Brooklyn. Projects range from renovating the rundown school bathrooms at P.S. 287; to installing new playground equipment in parks including Cobble Hill Park, Columbia Street Park or Prospect Park; electric charging stations on Grant Avenue; or repaving the bike path around Brooklyn College. Voting is open to anyone age 11 or older who lives, goes to school or works in a participating district, regardless of immigration status.

Visit the PBNYC website to see projects and learn how to vote online, or contact your local Council Member’s office to find out how to vote in person.

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GOLDMAN TOUTS BROOKLYN AS FUTURE CAPITAL OF U.S. OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY

SUNSET PARK — REP. DAN GOLDMAN (NY-10) SAID ON MONDAY THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN’S historic investment in renewable energy is showing tangible results in Brooklyn. He spoke during a walkthrough of the massive offshore wind project site in Sunset Park that will power 500,000 homes and businesses. When completed, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will connect energy generated by Empire Wind 1’s wind farm directly to the New York City power grid. The facility will be the largest port dedicated to offshore wind staging, operations and maintenance in the United States.

This project was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congressional Democrats and championed by President Biden in 2022, Goldman pointed out. In an interview in Politico, Goldman said he would be “shocked” if a new administration would roll back the investment, “Especially when my Republican colleagues like to talk so much about energy independence.”

Rep. Dan Goldman on Friday’s walkthrough of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
Photo: Office of Rep. Dan Goldman

Rendering of the planned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal wind project site.
Photo: Office of Rep. Dan Goldman

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DIETARY SUPPLEMENT COMPANY SEEKS TO BLOCK NEW LAW THAT RESTRICTS SALES TO MINORS

STATEWIDE — AN ADVOCACY GROUP FOR NATURAL FOOD AND SUPPLEMENT PRODUCTS is racing the clock to prevent a new law from taking effect in New York State on April 22. The group sent a letter to federal Judge Joan Azrack in the Eastern District of New York asking for a preliminary injunction, reports William Reed Media, which services the food and beverage industry. The Natural Products Association (NPA) is planning to file a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of a law that Gov, Kathy Hochul signed last October and which becomes effective in two weeks, that will restrict access to certain dietary supplements, particularly those produced by NutraIngredients-USA, for people under the age of 18. The legislation named examples: creatine, green tea extract, raspberry ketone, Garcinia cambogia and green coffee bean extract.

The NPA’s letter to Judge Azrack requested a Pre-Motion Conference to discuss a Preliminary Injunction to prevent NY Attorney General Letitia James from enforcing a law restricting the sale of these products to minors. The group is criticizing the bill’s vague language.

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BROOKLYN MUSEUM’S FIRST COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE WILL BRIDGE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM HAS WELCOMED NEW YORK–BASED CLASSICAL CELLIST Niles Luther as its first-ever Composer In Residence, as part of the iconic institution’s commitment to transformative artistic encounters. During his residency, through a fellowship from the Ford Foundation, Luther will bring his unique artistic vision to enhance the museum’s cultural programming by composing original scores, called Art Music, that draw their inspiration from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection and exhibitions. Luther builds upon his long-standing relationship with the Museum, having performed at the opening reception of Kehinde Wiley’s 2015 retrospective A New Republic and at the Black History Month-themed First Saturday in February 2020.

As the Museum’s first Composer in Residence, Luther is breaking ground in both the music and art worlds.

NYC-based cellist Niles Luther.
Photo courtesy Brooklyn Museum

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REP. MALLIOTAKIS JOINS NEIGHBORHOOD FIGHT AGAINST PROPOSED HOMELESS SHELTER

BENSONHURST/GRAVESEND — THE CITY MUST REPEAL ZONING LAWS THAT HAVE ALLOWED hotels to be turned into shelters as of right, assert Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) and concerned members of the Brooklyn community, who on Monday, April 8, held a press conference outside a proposed hotel shelter site at 2501 86th St. The shelter would provide temporary housing for 150 homeless men, including those with mental health challenges, in proximity to six different schools in the neighborhood. The coalition also urges the city to abide by New York State law that requires a public hearing before a shelter is sited and implement a minimum residency requirement of two or more years, so that people aren’t incentivized to move to New York City for the sole reason of obtaining free shelter at what Rep. Malliotakis says would be at the taxpayers’ expense.

Another elected official, Assemblymember William Colton (D-47), who represents the same neighborhoods at the state level, has also organized heavily-attended rallies to fight the shelter, after successfully scuttling plans for a Kings Highway shelter in recent years.

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WOMAN STRUCK STROLLER IN HATE CRIME

BAY RIDGE — THE NYPD’S HATE CRIMES TASK FORCE IS SEARCHING FOR A WOMAN in her late 30s who on the afternoon of Monday, March 25, confronted a young couple on Bay 28th and 86th streets after they inadvertently bumped her with their stroller; the woman then made anti-ethnic remarks towards the victims and pushed the stroller before fleeing south on 86th Street. The suspect is described as having a light complexion and was last seen wearing black clothing and carrying a black backpack.

Anyone with information regarding 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 tips via the Crime Stoppers website, or on X (Twitter) @NYPDTips.

The woman was suspected of pushing a couple’s stroller last month.

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PUBLIC SCHOOL GYM CLOSED AFTER EARTHQUAKE

EAST NEW YORK — THE GYM OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING that houses J.H.S. 218 James P. Sinnott and the School for Classics High School has been closed after its walls cracked during last week’s earthquake, reports Gothamist. The rest of the school building will remain open after being deemed safe by the Department of Buildings. DoB inspectors said that the risk came from the possibility that loose bricks could fall from the wall cracks; a spokesperson for the Department of Education said that repairs would be completed soon, and that parents would be kept updated.

Friday’s earthquake originated in New Jersey, and caused minor building damage throughout the tristate area; aftershocks are likely through this week.