What’s News, Breaking: Thursday, April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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ONE QUEENS-BOUND LANE OF BQE CLOSED UNTIL MAY 10

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — THE RIGHT LANE OF THE QUEENS-BOUND BROOKLYN-QUEENS EXPRESSWAY will continue to be closed from midnight to 5 a.m. from Atlantic Avenue to Clark Street until May 10. The Atlantic Avenue entrance ramp to Queens-bound BQE will also be closed. These closures are required for core extraction and testing along the BQE and for removal of plates and placement of asphalt for interim repairs, and are dependent on weather and field conditions. NYC DOT will continue to close the Pearl Street Ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge on weeknights from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. from April 22 to May 3.

The ramp closure is necessary for continued masonry repair on the walls of the approach arches, according to DOT.

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EARTH DAY AT THE WYCKOFF-BOND GARDEN

GOWANUS — THE WYCKOFF-BOND GARDEN IS HOSTING AN EARTH Day celebration this weekend: on Saturday, April 20. Kids can join a song-filled garden storytime presented by the Brooklyn Public Library’s Miss Sarah, while at 3 p.m. meditation teacher Kadam Kyle Davis will lead a meditation session; the Brooklyn Book Bodega will be giving kids’ books away from noon to 4 p.m., while garden members will be on hand to educate about composting and street tree care. On Sunday, April 21, visitors can catch musical performances by the Zakir Rothstein Quartet at 1 p.m., folk artist Victor V. Gurbo at 2:30 p.m. and singing aerialist ELee Pink at 4 p.m.

Members of the public can also find out information on how to become a member of the community garden at the Earth Day celebration.

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EARTH DAY AT SALT MARSH NATURE CENTER

MARINE PARK — MARINE PARK’S SALT MARSH NATURE CENTER is celebrating New York’s wetlands ecosystems this Sunday, April 21, for Earth Day, kicking things off with a marsh nature hike at noon with the urban park rangers, focused on its unique plants and animals, as well as on the history and significance of Earth Day. At 2 p.m., the Nature Center will host the Brooklyn Dance Ensemble for a performance inspired by the salt marsh and other natural environments, sponsored by the Salt Marsh Alliance.

The Alliance will also be hosting a garden-tending meetup from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20.

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HOCHUL: CRACKDOWN ON ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT INCLUDED IN BUDGET AGREEMENT

STATEWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ON THURSDAY announced new initiatives in the 2025 budget agreement to crack down on organized retail theft. “Sophisticated organized retail theft operations are putting frontline retail workers at risk and reselling stolen goods on online marketplaces, and we’re taking new steps to end this chaos,” Hochul said. The plan includes making assault on a retail worker a felony; allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when they file charges; making it illegal to sell stolen goods to third-party sellers; budgeting $40.2 million for dedicated Retail Theft Teams within law enforcement offices; and, a tax credit to help small businesses invest in security measures.

“This legislation marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to ensure safety and security for New Yorkers,” and includes funding to build on successful anti-theft programs such as the trespass affidavit program to stop repeat offenders, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

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COUNCIL VOTES FOR BRANNAN’S PILOT: PARKING LOT SOLAR CANOPIES

CITYWIDE — THE CITY COUNCIL ON THURSDAY VOTED IN FAVOR of a bill sponsored by Councilmember Justin Brannan establishing a pilot program for installing solar panel-equipped canopies and electric vehicle chargers in city-controlled parking lots, building on previous legislation aimed at expanding electric vehicle infrastructure. The program will see canopies installed over parking spaces in at least one lot per borough, selected for cost efficiency, as well as at least five electric vehicle chargers for each lot; after the conclusion of the pilot, the city will produce a report on the lots involved, analyze the financial soundness of the program, and recommend whether and how the program can be expanded and made permanent.

“My solar canopies bill will push our city to make new, inventive use of open spaces like parking lots in service of generating green energy. Electric cars will drive us to a sustainable future but we can’t expect drivers to make the switch from fossil fuel-powered to electric vehicles if our city is not built out to support them,” Brannan said in a press statement.

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PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO OPEN MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ADAMS AND NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS on Wednesday announced that 16 public school-based mental health clinics will open within the next six months, providing services to over 6,000 students across the Bronx and central Brooklyn. Offerings will include individual, family and group therapy, as well as connections to outpatient clinics and telehealth services. Teachers and school staff will also have access to consultation, training and workshops in student wellbeing, while schools will receive support in responding to student mental health crises, lightening the load on 911 resources and avoiding hospital visits; the clinics are funded by $3.6 million from the city, as well as $700,000 in grants from the state.

The Brooklyn schools chosen, identified as being in high need, are All City Leadership Secondary School, Brighter Choice Community School, Evergreen Middle School for Urban Exploration, Kappa V: Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy, MS K394, Parkside Preparatory Academy, PS 04, PS/IS 384, and the Brooklyn Green School. An additional 34 schools, for a total of 20,000 students, will have access to rapid referrals to city outpatient mental health clinics.

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EARTH DAY FUN IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — CITY POINT AND ALBEE SQUARE WILL HOST twin parties celebrating Earth Day this weekend, with activities for families and adults to enjoy. Inside the mall, kids can build wind turbine sculptures and decorate turbine cookies at a wind energy-themed celebration presented by the Community Offshore Wind project; while outside on Albee Square Plaza, the Downtown Brooklyn Car-Free Earth Day bash will offer recycled craft workshops, dance and bike classes, eco-themed music performances and an Earth Day Wheel of Fortune giveaway on the Fulton Mall.

The Wind Party will take place inside City Point next to Rumi’s on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the Earth Day bash at Albee Square Plaza will take place from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with registration required for some events.

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ASSEMBLY’S NOVAKHOV PROTESTS RUSSIAN DANCERS AT LINCOLN CENTER

BRIGHTON BEACH — ASSEMBLYMEMBER MICHAEL NOVAKHOV, WHOSE District 45 includes Brighton Beach, on Thursday authored a letter to the president of Lincoln Center expressing outrage at a Wednesday announcement that three ballet dancers from Russia’s Mariinsky Theater will participate in a youth ballet gala at the center on Friday night. Novhakov called the inclusion of representatives of the theater, which is headed by conductor Valery Gergiev, a strong ally of Russian President Putin, “totally unacceptable” in light of alleged fundraising and open support for the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine. Also signed by colleagues Alec Brook-Krasny and Lester Chang, the letter suggested that the late announcement was intended to soften protests against the dancers’ inclusion, citing a similar performance in South Korea that was halted after public outcry earlier this week; Novhakov also expressed concerns that the event could violate sanctions against Russia.

“This seems to be a part of Putin’s latest propaganda campaign, using Russia’s top ballet performers to promote his fascist regime… I strongly believe that this performance by the Mariinsky Theater is totally inappropriate, and demand that Vladimir Putin’s representatives be prohibited from performing at New York’s iconic Lincoln Center,” Novhakov wrote.

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ADAMS & NYPD BRASS TOUT ‘GHOST PLATE’ OPERATION

CITYWIDE — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS AND CHIEF OF PATROL JOHN CHELL touted a program to crack down on vehicle “ghost plates” — paper covers meant to obscure actual license plate numbers — at a Community Conversation event on Wednesday. “The paper plates that you’re talking about that we call ghost vehicles, they’re being used in robberies, they try to cross the bridges. We have put a whole apprehension plan in place,” Chell said. Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry let out that the NYPD would be doing “a huge operation” Thursday night. “I’m not going to say where it’s at in regards to ghost cars, paper plates.”

Chell told the audience a true-life story. “About 25 minutes before we got here tonight, myself and Commissioner Daughtry engaged a plate cover with Jersey plates on the FDR that just tried to stab someone in Brooklyn. That’s why we got here just in time because we had to chase his car all over Queens and we lost them, but we gave it a valiant effort. That’s how dangerous these cars are.”

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PEDESTRIAN DIES AFTER FALLING
ON CURB THEN BEING RUN OVER

FLATBUSH/EAST FLATBUSH — A RAISED RUBBER CURB used in traffic control contributed to the death of a 74-year-old woman on Tuesday, April 16. According to the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, the elderly pedestrian was within the designated crosswalk at the intersection of New York Avenue and Ave. D. in East Flatbush when she tripped over the rubber curb on the center yellow double line, lost her balance and fell to the ground. A 28-year-old woman driving a 2023 Honda Accord simultaneously made a left turn onto eastbound Avenue D, running over the pedestrian who was lying in the roadway. The pedestrian, whom police have since identified as Pauline V. Paton of Snyder Avenue, sustained severe head trauma and was transported to NYC Health and Hospital/Kings County, where she was pronounced deceased.

The Honda’s driver was uninjured and remained on the scene. As of press time, no arrests had been made and the investigation remains ongoing.

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NY’S STATE PARKS AND HISTORIC SITES SYSTEM
MARKS ITS CENTENNIAL

ALBANY — GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ON THURSDAY CELEBRATED THE CENTENNIAL of the State Council of Parks being established on April 18, 1924. New York’s modern State Parks and Historic Sites system was created when Governor Alfred E. Smith and the State Legislature established the New York State Council of Parks; the creation of the Council was built on state actions begun in the late 19th Century to protect places of natural significance. In 1970, the year that Earth Day was launched, state legislation that created the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also upgraded the former Division of Parks into an independent agency, known as the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation. There are currently two locations listed on the State Parks’ website: Shirley Chisholm State Park, at Fountain Avenue in East New York on the shoreline of Jamaica Bay, and Marsha P. Johnson State Park, at Kent Ave. and North 7th St. in Williamsburg.

Landmarks across the state will be illuminated in Parks green and centennial gold and a special centennial flag will be raised at parks and historic sites across the state to commemorate the day.

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NEW RENDERINGS RELEASED FOR ‘GOWANUS GREEN’ MEGA-PROJECT

GOWANUS — GOWANUS GREEN PARTNERS RECENTLY RELEASED UPDATED RENDERINGS of “Gowanus Green,” the 5.8-acre mega-project along the Gowanus Canal consisting of roughly 955 units of housing, plus retail and community space, a site for a school, and a 1.5-acre public park. Designed by Marvel, the project will feature six residential buildings for a range of incomes, with half for low/very-low incomes, and roughly 40% for households with incomes averaging between 80% – 120% AMI, plus some for seniors earning under 60% AMI and households earning up to 130% AMI. (The 2023 AMI for the NYC region was $127,100 for a three-person family.)

While developers say Phase I of the controversial project is anticipated to begin construction in 2025, at a March 28 Gowanus Oversight Task Force meeting, DEC lawyer Patrick Foster noted that construction could be delayed, since National Grid is protesting a Jan. 19 letter from DEC and EPA requesting additional remedial work to clean up lingering toxins at the site, Red Hook Star Review reported.

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TRADER JOE’S RECALLS ORGANIC BASIL PRODUCT
FOLLOWING SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

NATIONWIDE — A MULTISTATE OUTBREAK OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM INFECTIONS is prompting the recall of a popular organic basil product sold in Trader Joe’s Supermarkets throughout the East Coast and Midwest. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses linked to Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil packed in 2.5-oz clamshell packages that were sold at Trader Joe’s stores in New York, the tri-state area, and across half the U.S. CDC reported that 12 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from seven states. Seven of eight cases reported exposure to fresh organic basil purchased from Trader Joe’s before becoming ill. Additionally, the FDA’s traceback data determined that Infinite Herbs, LLC, in Miami, FL, was the supplier of this particular product.

Trader Joe’s, responding to this investigation, has voluntarily removed all Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil packed in 2.5-oz clamshell packaging from their stores and this product should no longer be available for sale. Anyone who purchased it should return or discard the product.

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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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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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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. Gov. 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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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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FIVE 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 storm water 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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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, who represents portions of Brooklyn and Staten Island that are connected by the Verrazzano Narrows Bridg, 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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DRIVER ARRESTED, CHARGED IN FATAL COLLISION WITH 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL

WILLIAMSBURG — THE DRIVER OF A BUICK THAT 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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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. The charges were dismissed on the grounds that a cabinet member cannot be removed simply for carrying out the policies of his administration.

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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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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TWO MORE SHELTERS SLATED FOR SUNSET PARK, CROWN HEIGHTS

SUNSET PARK — A FORMER FACTORY BUILDING ON 25TH STREET 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. In 1887, Colored School #2 was renamed to P.S. 68, and in 1893 it 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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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 forces loyal to the Czar 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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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 10th 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.