What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, April 17, 2024

April 17, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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BREAKING NEWS
SENATE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST MAYORKAS,
THUS ABORTING IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

CAPITOL HILL — THE U.S. SENATE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 17, DISMISSED all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, reports the Associated Press and other media. Senators voted along party lines to dismiss separately the two articles of impeachment, arguing that they were unconstitutional. The first article charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law.” The second article charged Mayorkas with a “breach of trust” for saying the border was secure.

Shortly after opening the trial, Senate Majority Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered Republicans a period of debate time and the opportunity to create an impeachment committee. However, that and three other GOP-led motions, including from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, failed to carry.

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CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION PUMP COLLAPSES IN GOWANUS

GOWANUS — A CONCRETE PUMP HAS PARTIALLY COLLAPSED AT A GOWANUS CONSTRUCTION site, reports NBC News. According to the city Department of Buildings, the pump fell while preparing to pour concrete on the tenth floor of the north tower of the planned 23-story development at 395 Carroll St., and was left suspended in the air between the two towers. No one was injured in the collapse; the DoB ordered the emergency removal of the collapsed pump, issued a partial stop-work order for concrete pouring, and cited the contractor for failing to comply with the pump’s operating instructions.

“Well, that wasn’t in the blueprint,” the Department of Buildings quipped on X (Twitter,) sharing photos of the scene that showed crushed scaffolding and the pump’s precarious positioning.

A collapsed concrete pump in Gowanus.
Photo courtesy of Department of Buildings

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5 NEW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAYGROUNDS COMING TO NYC

CITYWIDE — CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN on five new Green Infrastructure playgrounds at schools across the city, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the Trust for Public Land announced Wednesday. Once completed, the new playgrounds will absorb more than 3.5 million gallons of stormwater annually. In Brooklyn, M.S. 35 Stephen Decatur in Bedford-Stuyvesant was chosen for the upgrade. “That this plan was carried out with input from community members and students shows a meaningful level of respect and care, and we welcome investment in historically-underserved areas,” Councilmember Chi Osse (D- Bedford-Stuyvesant) said in a statement.

Other schools include I.S. 145 in Jackson Heights, Queens; P.S. 229 in Woodside, Queens; Orchard Collegiate Academy/University Neighborhood MS in Manhattan; and P.S. 306/The Bronx School of Young Leaders in Morris Heights, the Bronx.

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EXHIBITION ON ARTIST JOHN GRAHAM IN HEIGHTS TOWNHOUSE

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — AN EXHIBITION OF THE WORK OF MODERNIST ARTIST John Graham is being staged this month in the newly restored Brooklyn Heights townhouse Graham once lived in, reports Designboom. The show features paintings and sketches by the artist, as well as works by contemporaries, including sculptures by John Chamberlain, and current artists. Graham, described by co-curator Glenn Anderson as “one of the great characters of his age,” was born Ivan Dabrowsky in 1886 to an aristocratic Kyiv family and served in the Russian army during World War I, later fighting with counter-revolutionaries in Crimea. He changed his name and began studying art after immigrating to the U.S. in the 1920s, and eventually became a prominent figure and collector in the city’s art scene, serving as a mentor to other abstract expressionist artists, including Jackson Pollock.

The exhibition is on display through April 30 at 1 Sidney Place, curated by the Hollis Taggart Gallery and presented by The Brooklyn Home Company.

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TWO MORE SHELTERS SLATED FOR SUNSET PARK, CROWN HEIGHTS

SUNSET PARK — A 25TH STREET FORMER FACTORY BUILDING IS SET TO be converted into a 27-unit homeless shelter, reports Brownstoner. Work appears to have begun on approved repairs to the building in preparation for the shelter’s construction, although permission for the conversion has not yet been granted to prospective operator David Levitan, a controversial “Worst Landlord Watchlist” alumnus whose similar nearby Third Street shelter opened recently over community opposition and without independent environmental testing. Meanwhile, in Crown Heights, the former P.S. 83 annex, constructed in 1907 and once slated to become affordable housing, will instead be converted to a long-term, 91-unit family shelter, with renovations including the installation of new windows currently underway at the long-vacant building.

Brownstoner recounts P.S. 83’s history, including its initial identity as Weeksville’s Colored School #2, which was founded in 1853 and was, unusually for the time, attended by both Black and white children. In 1887, Colored School #2 was renamed to P.S. 68, and in 1893 merged with the brand-new P.S. 83, originally intended to be a co-located school for white children, to become the city’s first officially integrated public school.

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MISSING GIRL IN BED-STUY

BED-STUY — POLICE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO HELP FIND MISSING TEEN AMY Ruiz, age 15, who was last seen on the afternoon of Friday, April 12, in the vicinity of Utica Avenue and Fulton Street, near the Utica Avenue A/C train station; she is a resident of the Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene. Amy is described as Hispanic, 5’1” and 100 pounds, with a light complexion, brown hair with red highlights and brown eyes; she was last seen wearing a black jacket, a burgundy shirt, blue jeans and red and white sneakers.
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 by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, or on X (Twitter) @NYPDTips.

Missing Fort Greene teen Amy Ruiz. All calls are strictly confidential.

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CYBERATTACK PUTS CRIMP ON ALBANY BUDGET PROCESS

ALBANY — THE STATE BUDGET PROCESS HIT A STUMBLING BLOCK on Wednesday when a cyberattack crippled the bill drafting system, the Times Union reported. The cyberattack occurred in the early morning hours on Wednesday, which led the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission to put on hold their work and prompted a state investigation. Gov. Kathy Hochul was briefed Wednesday morning, her spokesperson Avi Small told the Times Union.

“The bill drafting system has been down since early this morning,” state Senate Majority Communications Director Mike Murphy said in a statement, according to City & State. “They are working to correct the issue as soon as possible. They can still process work for the houses and we don’t believe this will delay the overall process.”

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500th ANNIVERSARY OF VERRAZZANO’S ARRIVAL IN NY HARBOR CELEBRATED WEDNESDAY

MANHATTAN — THE CONSUL GENERAL OF ITALY, along with representatives from various regions of Italy and local Italian-Americans, held a ceremony at the Giovanni da Verrazzano Statue in Battery Park on Wednesday to commemorate the arrival of Giovanni da Verrazzano, Italian navigator and explorer, 500 years ago. Governor Kathy Hochul; Mayor Eric Adams; Cedrik Fouriscot, Consul General of France in New York; and Susan Donoghue, NYC Parks Commissioner, were speakers at the celebratory occasion, according to the Italian American Leadership Forum. Verrazzano, an Italian navigator and explorer, traveled under the flag of France for his voyages across the Atlantic.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island, Bay Ridge) issued a congressional resolution honoring Verrazzano on the occasion, as the Eagle reported.

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DRIVER ARRESTED, CHARGED IN FATAL COLLISION
OF 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL

WILLIAMSBURG — THE DRIVER OF A BUICK WHO FATALLY HIT AND RAN OVER A 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL in Williamsburg (90th Precinct) on Tuesday, April 16, has been arrested, reports NYPD and the Daily News. Yitty Wertzberger was on her way back from school, three blocks from home and in the crosswalk, when the driver, 62-year-old Isaac Karczag reportedly veered into oncoming traffic, crossed the double yellow line and attempted to make a left turn onto Franklin Avenue, against the light, according to an NYPD/CIS report. He hit and then ran over the girl in front of horrified witnesses, the Daily News said. Karczag was arrested and charged in Yitty’s death Tuesday on several counts: Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian, Failure to Obey Traffic Device and Failure to Exercise Due Care. EMS transported Yitty, suffering severe body trauma, to Brooklyn Hospital Center but she could not be saved.

With very limited exceptions, making any turns on red is illegal in NYC, and where allowed, signage indicating this must be present.

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BPL’S FREE ‘POP-UP UNIVERSITY’ IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS THIS WEEKEND

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S UNIVERSITY OPEN AIR, which features globally trained immigrants sharing their knowledge with local residents, returns Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 21, at BPL’s Center for Brooklyn History at 128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights. All of the courses are free, but registration is highly recommended. Classes range from Tibetan yoga breathing techniques to Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Chinese tea ceremony, Salsa music and French literature.

Throughout the weekend, The Dream Unfinished, an activist orchestra, will perform in the Great Hall. For the full schedule visit bklynlibrary.org.

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RESOLUTION HONORING EXPLORER VERRAZZANO
INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS

BAY RIDGE AND CAPITOL HILL — A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS of 16TH Century Italian Explorer Giovanni Da Verrazzano was introduced Wednesday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressmember Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) who represents portions of Brooklyn and Staten Island that the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge connects, marked the 500th anniversary of Verrazzano discovering New York Bay, on April 17, 1524. Rep. Malliotakis also submitted a formal recognition to the Congressional Record. “Five hundred years ago, Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered New York Bay, becoming the first explorer to chart the East Coast of the United States. His discovery expanded maritime knowledge and sparked inspiration for future explorations,” Malliotakis said, celebrating New York City and the two boroughs she represents as “the most Italian Congressional District in America,” with roughly 800,000 Italian Americans.

Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed legislation naming the bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Construction of the span, once the longest suspension bridge in the world, was completed in November 1964.

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A DRONE WILL BE FLYING OVER THE BKLYN JAIL SITE FRIDAY

BOERUM HILL — IN PREPARATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION of the new Brooklyn Borough-Based Jail on Atlantic Avenue, drone photography of the site will take place on Friday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., according to the NYC Department of Design and Construction. Photography is required for site surveying, progress monitoring and documentation purposes.

DDC says that photography will be focused on the construction site only, which is bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Boerum Place, Smith Street and State Street.

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IN MEMORIAM: CARL ERSKINE, 97, CAREER PITCHER
WITH BROOKLYN DODGERS

EBBETS FIELD TO INDIANAPOLIS — Carl Erskine, whose entire baseball career was with the Brooklyn Dodgers, died on Tuesday, April 16, in his home state of Indiana, according to the Washington Post and other media. Erskine, who was considered one of major league baseball’s classiest players, was with the Dodgers from 1948-59, finishing with a 127-78 record. During his career, he pitched no-hitters against the Chicago Cubs (June 19, 1952) and the Giants (May 12, 1956) as well as a World Series. The last of the ‘Boys of Summer,’ Erskine played alongside other Hall of Famers: outfielder Duke Snider, infielders Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese, catcher Roy Campanella, and, of course, Jackie Robinson, and the major leagues’ first Black player of the 20th century.

Erskine’s death was confirmed by Ted Green, a filmmaker who directed a 2022 documentary on Mr. Erskine titled “The Best We’ve Got.”

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NEW WORKING GROUP FORMED TO SOLVE ISSUES
RELATED TO CHILD CARE FUNDING SHORTAGE

STATEWIDE — U.S. SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND ON MONDAY, APRIL 15, CONVENED HER NEWLY-CREATED CHILDCARE WORKING GROUP to promote childcare as a public good, expand access to high-quality, affordable childcare for all New York families, and support the childcare workforce. The workgroup’s members are advocacy organizations, elected officials, and government agencies across New York. Last September’s lapse of pandemic-era federal funding means that over 5,700 New York childcare centers were at risk of closure. Over 251,000 children in New York were set to lose care, according to an analysis by The Century Foundation, which also projects that New York parents would lose $846 million in earnings as a result of being forced to cut work hours or leave the workforce, and an additional 19,156 childcare jobs would be lost across the state. The Childcare Working Group is committed to a layered, multidisciplinary approach that crosses all levels of government and advocacy to find solutions to these urgent issues.

The working group comprises non-profits, unions, government agencies, and elected officials, including the governor, Mayor Eric Adams, and Brooklyn Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.

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FDA ALERT: CERTAIN OYSTER BATCHES FROM KOREA
CONTAMINATED WITH NOROVIRUS

NATIONWIDE — SHELLFISH LOVERS ARE BEING URGED TO AVOID EATING CERTAIN BATCHES OF FROZEN, RAW, HALF-SHELL OYSTERS coming from the Republic of Korea, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration warned on Tuesday, April 16. Restaurants and retailers are being advised not to serve or sell frozen, raw, half-shell oysters from Lots B231126 and B240103, harvested from Designated Area No. 1 and Lot B240214, harvested from Designated Area No. 2, processed by JBR (KR 15 SP) in Tongyeongsi, Republic of Korea on 11/27/2023, 1/4/2024 and 2/15/2024. The California Department of Public Health has notified the FDA of an outbreak of norovirus illnesses associated with the consumption of these oysters. Authorities at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in the Republic of Korea on Monday, April 15, advised the firm to voluntarily initiate a recall of these oysters.

Although the impacted oysters were distributed predominantly in California, health officials are concerned that they might have been shipped to other states or that New Yorkers visiting the West Coast may have eaten oysters from this batch and become ill.

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HOME HEALTH AIDE WORKFORCE WOULD EXPAND
UNDER BILL THAT SEN. GILLIBRAND WILL INTRODUCE

CAPITOL HILL — A SHORTAGE OF HOME HEALTH AIDES IS PROMPTING U.S. SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND TO HOLD A VIRTUAL PRESS conference on Wednesday, April 17, when she will announce legislation to mitigate the problem. Gillibrand cites low wages, understaffing and poor working conditions in the field as having led to an acute shortage of long-term care workers, including certified nursing assistants, personal care aides and home health aides. While these workers have enabled senior citizens to age with dignity, the shortage means that the elderly must wait months or even years before getting needed assistance. Gillibrand’s legislation would make major federal investments to strengthen and expand the long-term care workforce, including in rural and underserved communities.

Long-term care workers help seniors eat, bathe, and perform other basic daily tasks.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR AIR CONDITIONING
AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS

STATEWIDE — NEW YORKERS WILL BE ABLE TO STAY COOL THIS SUMMER THANKS TO $22 million being made available through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday, April 16. The funds through HEAP, which the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance oversees, can provide an air conditioning unit to eligible low-income households that include someone with a documented medical condition exacerbated by extreme heat or households with young children or older adults. Applications are now being accepted and will continue to be accepted through Saturday, Aug. 31, or until funding runs out. The program covers the cost of an air conditioning unit or fan and installation.

More than 27,000 households are expected to receive cooling assistance this year.

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NYC PAID OUT ALMOST $1.5B IN LEGAL SETTLEMENTS IN 2023

CITYWIDE — NYC PAID OUT $1.45 BILLION IN LEGAL SETTLEMENTS last year, Comptroller Brad Lander said Tuesday in his Fiscal Year 2023 Claims Report. Key findings: claims against NYPD doubled, and the amount the city paid out — $266.7 million — increased 12% from 2022. Claims against the Department of Education increased 17% and settlements totaled $92.8 million, a 12% increase. Vehicle crashes caused by city employees jumped to 1,693 claims, a 14% increase, and settlement payouts jumped to $173.7 million, a 23% increase. While the number of claims overall increased in 2023 (13,227 vs. 12,188 in 2022), the amount the city paid out was down 7% from the $1.56 billion paid in 2022.

“The $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds we paid last year to settle claims against the city is $1.5 billion we could have spent in our schools and neighborhoods,” Lander said. He wants to shift responsibility for claims payments from the city’s general fund to agency budgets to hold agencies accountable and encourage reforms.

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ALLINBKLYN, BROOKLYN WOMEN’S GIVING CIRCLE, ANNOUNCES 2024 GRANTEES

BOROUGHWIDE — ALLINBKLYN, A WOMAN’S GIVING CIRCLE committed to strengthening Brooklyn nonprofits, has announced its 2024 grantees. The group includes The Brave House, CHiPS, Documented NY, Emma’s Torch, Meals for Good and Ruth’s Refuge. Each will receive three years of funding, beginning with $20,000 in the first year. Allinbklyn, which marks its 10th year this month, started with seven women and has grown into a community of 60 that grants more than $300,000 in unrestricted awards each year.

“Receiving a grant from Allinbklyn is like getting the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” said Julie Stein Brockway, co-executive director of the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, a 2022 grantee. “It acknowledges that you are doing the best work possible to meet the needs of the people of Brooklyn.”

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NY ATTORNEY GENERAL, DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN REACH AGREEMENT ON MANAGING CLERGY SEX ABUSE CASES

ALBANY — NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES ON TUESDAY, APRIL 16, RELEASED AN AGREEMENT with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, to address what the Attorney General’s Office says are years of mismanaging clergy sexual abuse cases and for failing to uphold the policies and procedures it adopted for investigating and responding to abuse complaints. However, the diocese, in a statement also released on Tuesday, asserted its cooperation throughout the investigation. The actual 71-page Assurance of Discontinuance agreement that the OAG provided does acknowledge that “The Diocese and its leaders, including Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Bishop Robert J. Brennan, have fully cooperated with the Investigation and, both prior to and after its commencement, have: voluntarily undertaken a number of important changes to the Diocese’s policies and procedures to help address the concerns that led to the Investigation and to prevent their recurrence.”

But the new agreement requires the diocese to take significant action to prevent and address allegations of clergy sexual abuse and reform past policies, including hiring a clergy monitor with law enforcement or counseling experience to develop and oversee abuse prevention plans for priests who have been accused of sexual abuse.

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DIOCESE RESPONDS TO POINTS IN THE AGREEMENT WITH STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN, IN ITS OWN RESPONSE to the newly-signed agreement with NY Attorney General Letitia James’ office, commits to “improve on its two-decade child protection effort since the passage of the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Dallas Charter) by the U.S. Bishops.” The Diocese points out that “All allegations that came to the Diocese were immediately sent to the appropriate district attorney and that it worked with the NYPD Special Victims Unit on many of the cases.” Bishop DiMarzio, who at the time led the diocese, also established the Diocesan Review Board, consisting of former law enforcement officers, lawyers with experience in family law and child abuse, and mental health professionals, manages child sexual abuse allegations and investigations and makes personnel recommendations to the bishop based on their findings.

Over time, the diocese recognized the need to improve communications internally and to the faithful. During much of Bishop DiMarzio’s tenure, public statements were released about the outcome of (DRB) investigations that led to the removal of 27 priests from ministry.

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CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL RUNS FIRST WEEKEND IN MAY

CONEY ISLAND — THE 24TH ANNUAL CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS LINEUP OF 97 FILMS in a jam-packed weekend, May 3-5, 2024. This Brooklyn tradition, which MovieMaker Magazine has named as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals,” is a ticketed program with different viewing packages available. The festival kicks off Friday, May 3 in the Coney Island Museum with the Brooklyn premiere of the documentary feature “Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between” directed by Claire Jeffreys. Highlights include a restored version of the Documentary Feature “Brighton Beach” (1980) on Saturday, and as part of tradition, the 1979 Coney Island cult classic “The Warriors,” at 10 p.m on Saturday, May 4th. Wrapping up the festival’s last screening block on Sunday evening, is “Coney Island Films,” featuring films centered and themed around this iconic part of Brooklyn.

Coney Island USA, established in 1980, has developed and produces a range of different programs— such as the Mermaid Parade and the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. Coney Island USA also operates the Coney Island Museum,

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR AIR CONDITIONING AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS

STATEWIDE — NEW YORKERS WILL BE ABLE TO STAY COOL THIS SUMMER, THANKS TO $22 million being made available through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday, April 16. The funds through HEAP, that the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance oversees, can provide an air conditioning unit to eligible low-income households that include someone with a documented medical condition exacerbated by extreme heat, or households with young children or older adults. Applications (NYC residents visit https://access.nyc.gov/) are now being accepted and will continue to be accepted through Saturday, August 31, or until funding runs out. The program covers the cost of an air conditioning unit, or fan and installation.

More than 27,000 households are expected to receive cooling assistance this year.